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1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

JOHN   MACL.&AN, 


THE 


LIFE    AND    TIMES 


OF 


ID   ZEISBERGEK 


i    THE  WESTERN  PIONEER  AND  APOSTLE  OF  THE  INDIANS. 


BY 


EDMUND  DE  SCHWEINITZ. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

J.   B.   LIPPINOOTT    &    CO. 

18  70. 


I 


^ — 


w> 


CAIMOIAM 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1870,  by 

J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  &  CO., 
In  the  OfHee  of  the  Librarian  of  Cons;re.s.s,  at  Washington. 


2.^~\-^0 


PREFACE. 


Among  the  philanthropists  who  dedicated  them- 
selves to  the  work  of  reclaiming  the  aborigines  of 
our  country  and  spreading  civilization  throughout 
the  West,  is  a  man  who  has  remained  comparatively 
unknown,  although  he  defeerves  a  prominent  place  in 
history.  His  name  is  David  Zeisberger.  As  a  \ 
missionary  and  an  Indian  linguist  he  is  the  peer 
of  John  Eliot;  while  he  far  outranks  him  as  a 
herald  of  the  Gospel  and  a  forerunner  of  the  race 
that  has  since  possessed  the  land  in  which  he 
labored.  As  regards  the  frequency  of  his  journeys 
among  the  Indians  and  the  privations  which  he  en- 
dured in  his  efforts  to  convert  them,  no  one  is  his 
equal  except  the  Jesuit  Fathers  of  the  seventeenth 
century. 

I  have  attempted,  in  the  following  pages,  to  give 
a  narrative  of  his  life,  devoting,  for  a  number  of 
years,  such  time  to  this  work  as  was  not  occupied 
by  official  duties. 

The  only  Life  of  Zeisbergev  which  has  been  pub- 
lished^is  a  smalL„jmiaElietjof ,,  sexi?^^^^^  pnges, 

( iiO'  ^ 


(f^ 


/y^SAM/!»<^ 


f^AjuJXc*^  ;lZ?e^^^*^ 


17 


PREFACE. 


printed  at  Bielefeld,  in  1849,  in  the  German  lan- 
guage, and  written  by  J.  J.  Heira,  a  clergyman  of 
Switzerland.  It  is  an  edifying  production,  but  full 
of  errors  in  all  points  relating  to  Indian  history.  In 
fLoskiel's  and  Ileckewelder's  Histories  of  the  Mora- 
vian Mission  among  the  Indians,  Zeisberger  is  a 
leading  character,  and  much  may  be  learned  from 
these  volumes  concerning  his  labors. 

The  present  work  is  based  upon  original  Lnanu- 
scripts,  preserved  in  the  archives  of  the  Moravian 
churches  at  Bethlehem  and 'other  places. 

In  addition  to  their  regular  correspondence  with 

}the  Mission  Board,  Zeisberger  and  his  fellow-mis- 
sionaries wrote  voluminous  journals  of  their  every- 
day life  among  the  Indians,  as  also  complete  reports 
of  any  occurrences  of  special  interest.  These  manu- 
scripts, which  are  mostly  in  the  German  language 
and  number  many  thousands  of  pages,  have  been 
preserved,  and  I  have  carefully  studied  them  all. 
As  a  rule,  references  to  them  have  been  given  in 
the  foot-notes  only  in  connection  with  events  of 
unupual  importance. 

It  has  been  my  endeavor  to  weave  into  the  narra- 
tive a  full  account  of  the  manners,  customs,  charac- 
ter, and  religion  of  the  aborigines,  without,  however, 
entering  into  any  critical  investigations.  In  all 
cases  I  have  reproduced  what  Zeisberger  says  upon 


\ 


PREFACE. 


these   subjects.      His   residence  of  sixty-two  years'^ 
among  the  Indians  reiiders  him   an  important  au-/ 
thority.     I  have  also  set  forth  his  life  in  close  coxi-j 
nection  with  the  history  of  the  Colonies  and  of  thej 
United  States,  from  1735  to  1808.     Hence  the  In- 
dian and  other  wars  which  broke  out  in  our  country 
during  this  long  period  all  find  a  place  in  my  work. 

The  narrative  may  seem,  at  times,  to  go  too  mi- 
nutely into  details.  But  this  was  unavoidable  if  I 
remained  true  to  my  purpose  of  writing  not  merely 
for  the  general  reader,  but  also  for  the  student  of  Mo- 
ravian history  among  the  Indians,  and  of  furnishing 
a  book  of  l-eference  on  this  subject.  I  have  endeav- 
ored to  embody,  as  much  as  possible,  biographical 
notices  and  local  facts  in  the  foot-notes.  The  details 
which  I  have  given  when  treating  of  events  of  colo- 
nial or  national  interest,  such  as  the  Paxton  Insur- 
rection and  the  Western  Border  War  during  the 
Revolution,  may  be  deemed  important  because  they 
are  mostly  drawn  from  sources  that  have  never 
before  been  used  by  the  historian. 

In  the  orthography  of  the  Indian  names,  whicK^ 
varies  so  much  that  it  cannot  be  subjected  to  rules,  ( 
I  have  followed  Zeisberger,  who  was  guided  by  thgj 
German  mode  of  pronunciation. 

I  have  added  a  geographical  glossary,  setting  forth 
the  situation  of  those  early  settlements,  Indian  vil- 


VI 


PREFACE. 


lages,  forts,  and  the  like  which  are  mentioned  in 
the  work.  This  glossary,  with  the  aid  of  an  ordi- 
nary atlas  of  the  United  States,  will  answer  all  the 
purpoi.  ;8  of  a  special  map. 

My  sincere  acknowledgments  are  due  to  the  many 
/friends  who  have,  in  various  ways,  assisted  me  in 
my  researches,  and  I  take  pleasure  in  mentioning 
particularly  John  Jordan,  Jr.,  Esq.,  of  Philadelphia, 
and  Jacob  Blickensderfer,  Jr.,  Esq.,  of  Tuscarawas 
County,  Ohio.  Both  these  gentlemen  have  put  me 
under  the  deepest  obligations. 

My  object  is  not  merely  to  bring  out  from  ob- 
scurity an  illustrious  man,  and  to  make  prominent 
in  the  history  of  our  country  a  name  which  should 
never  be  forgotten.  I  have  a  still  higher  aim  in 
view.  I  humbly  lay  this  work  at  the  feet  of  that 
Divine  Master  whose  glorious  Gospel  I  am  permitted 
to  preach.  If  the  following  pages  shall  incite  my 
readers  to  greater  zeal  and  devotedness  in  the  ser- 
vice of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  the  only  hope 
of  America  and  of  the  world,  and  shall  thus  serve 
to  promote  His  honor,  I  shall  feel  that  my  labors 
have  not  been  in  vain. 


Bethlehem,  Pa.,  June  11, 1810. 


ABBREVIATIONS  IN  THE  FOOT-NOTES. 


B.  A.  Archives  of  the  "Moravian  Church  at  Bethlehem,  Pennsylvania. 
L.  A.  Archives  of  the  Moravian  Church  at  Litiz,  Pa. 
P.  A.  Archives  of  the  First  Mo|>vian  Church  in  Philadelphia. 
G.  A.  Archives  of  the  Moravian  Church  at  Gnadenhiitten,  Ohio. 


(vii) 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  early  Years  of  David  Zeisberger.— 1721-1743 

CHAPTER   II. 

The  Indians  at  the  Time  when  Europeans  began  to  settle  on  the 


North  American  Continent.— 1497-1620 


PAOI 

18 


28 


CHAPTER  III. 

New  Tork  and  Pennsylvania  about  the  year  1746. — Their  Settle- 
ments and  Indian  Tribes 48 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Government,  Manners,  Customs,  Character,  and  Religion  of  the 
Delawares  and  Iroquois  in  the  Times  of  Zeisberger     •       , 


75 


CHAPTER  V. 

Missionary  Operations  among  the  Indians  previous  to  Zeisberger's 
Times.— 1549-1746 .        .        .97 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Zeisberger  a  Student  at  Bethlehem,  a  Prisoner  at  New  York,  and 
an  Envoy  to  Onondaga. — 1744,  1746 119 

CHAPTER  VII. 

His  Labors  at  Shamokin  and  in  the  "^  alley  of  Wyoming. — 1746-1750    140 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Zeisberger  and  Cammerhoff  on  an  Embassy  to  Onondaga. — 7750  .    156 

CHAPTER  IX. 

His  Visit  to  Europe  and  first  Labors  after  his  Return. — 1760-1752  .    176 

CHAPTER  X. 

Zeisberger  a  Resident  of  Onondaga. — 1752 187 


CHAPTER  XL 

Zeisberger  a  Resident  of  Onondaga. — 1758-1766 


204 


(ix) 


1 1 


X  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   XII. 

FAOE 

The  Months  prior  to  the  Indian  War,  and  the  Massacre  at  Gna- 
denhiitten.— 1765 ,        .    220 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
The  French  and  Indian  War.— 175«-1761 211 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Zeisberger's  first  Labors  after  the  French  and  Indian  War.— 17G2, 
1763 254 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Pontile  "War  and  the  Paxton  Insurrection.— 1763,  1764  .     274 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Zcisberger  at  Friedenshiitten.— 1765,  1766 307 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Zeisbcrger's  Exploratory  Tour  to  the  Indians  of  the  Alleghany 
Eiver.-1767 321 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Zeisbcrger  a  Missionary  at  Goschgoschiink. — 1V68,  1769        .        .     336 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
Zcisberger  at  Lawunakhannek.— 1769,  1770 350 

CHAPTER  XX. 

OntheBeavcrRivcr,  and  first  Visit  to  Ohio.— 1770,1771      .        .     360 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

The  Susquehanna  Converts  settle  in  the  West. — First  Missionary 
Town  in  Ohio.— 1771,  17T2 3^ 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Zeisbcrger's  Visits  to  the  Shawanese. — Progress  cf  the  Mission  in 
Ohio.— 1772-1774 382 

CHAPTER   XXIII. 
Dunmore's  War.— 1774 399 

CHAPTER   XXIV. 

The  Great  Plans  of  Zeisbe^ger  and  White  Eyes.— 1774  ...    410 


FAOE 


220 


.  211 


254 


.  274 


307 


321 


336 


350 


360 


3'' 


CONTENTS.  xi 

CHAPTER   XXV. 

PAOl 

Religious  Liberty  in  the  Delaware  Nation,  and  great  Prosperity 
of  the  Mission. — 1775 421 

CHAPTER   XXVI. 
Lichtenau  founded  on  the  Muskingum. — 1776        ....    432 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

The  Mission  during  the  Western  Border  War  of  the  Revolution.— 
1776,1777 441 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

The  Mission  during  the  Western  Border  War  of  the  Revolution 
(continued).— 1773, 1779 460 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Lichtenau  abandoned  and  New  Schonbrunn  and  Salem  built. — 
1779,1780 472 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

Zeisberger's  Marriage  and  last  Visit  to  the  Settlements.— 1781      .    480 

CHAPTER  XXXL 

Capture  of  the  Missionaries,  and  Overthrow  of  the  Mission  on  the 
Tuscarawas. — 1781 486 

CHAPTER  XXXIL 

The  Missionaries  and  Christian  Indians  carried  off  to  the  San- 
dusky.—1781        523 

CHAPTER  XXXIIL 
TheTrialand  Acquittal  of  the  Missionaries.— 1781        .        .        .518 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

The  Missionaries  at  Captives'  Town  until  their  Remandment  to 
Detroit.— 1781, 1782 ggg 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

The  Massacre  at  Gnadenhutten.- 1782 537 

CHAPTER   XXXVL 

Zeisberger  at  Lower  Sandusky  and  Detroit.— 1782         .        ,        ,558 


Xll 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

PAGE 

Second  Campaign  against  the  Christian  Indians,  and  News  of  the 
Massacre  in  the  States.— 1  "82 564 

CHAPTER  XXXVIIL 

Zeisberger  at  New  Gnadenhutten,  in  Michigan.— 1782-1786  .     578 

CHAPTER   XXXIX. 
Zeisherger  on  the  Cuyahoga,  Ohio.— 1786,  1787      ....    590 

CHAPTER   XL. 

Zeisberger  founds  New  Salem  on  the  Pettquotting. — 1787-1789     .     600 

CHAPTER   XLL 

Zeisberger  at  New  Salem  amid  the  first  Indications  of  War. — 
1789-1791 ,     .     612 

CHAPTER  XLIL 

Zeisberger  at  the  Mouth  of  the  Detroit  River.— 1791,  1792     .        .    623 

CHAPTER   XLIIL 

Zeisberger  founds  Fairfield,  i:T  Canada.— 1792.-1795      .        .        .631 

CHAPTER  XLIV. 

Further  Stay  of  Zeisberger  at  Fairflelu.— 1795-1798       .        .        .644 

CHAPTER   XLV. 

Zeisberger  returns  to  Ohio  and  founds  Goshen. — 1798-1807    .        .    652 

CH/^PTER  XLVL 

The  last  Year  of  Zeisbergcr's  L'fe.— 1808 667 

CHAPTER  XLVIL 
The  literary  Works  of  David  Zeisberger 686 

CHAPTER  XLVIIL 

The  Indian  Mission  from  the  Death  of  Zeisberger  to  the  present 
Time.— 1809-1870 093 

APPENDIX. 

A  Brief  Sketch  of  the  Moravian  Church 698 

Geographical  Glossary     ........  701 

Ihdbx ,       .       .       ,  717 


LIFE  AND  TIMES 


ov 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


CHAPTER   I. 

THE  EARLY  YEARL  OF  DAVID  ZEISBERGER.— 1721-4." , 

Zeisberger's  birth. — Flees  with  his  parents  from  Moravia  to  Saxony. — 
His  parents  emigrate  to  Georgia. — Zeisberger  remains  in  Europe. — 
Becomes  an  errand-boy  at  Herrendyk,  in  Holland. — Being  harshly 
treated,  he  runs  away  and  joins  his  parents. — Zeisberger  in  Georgia 
and  South  Carolina. — Goes  to  Pennsylvania;  and  helps  to  found  Naz- 
areth and  Bethlehem. — Remarkable  manner  in  which  the  plan  of 
sending  him  back  to  Europe  is  frustrated. — Zeisberger's  conversion. 
— He  devotes  himself  to  the  mission  among  the  North  American 
Indians. 


In  the  eastern  part  of  Moravia,  where  the  Oder  takes 
its  rise,  and  the  pastures  are  so  luxuriant  that  the  peas- 
antry term  the  country  KuhlUndl,  or  Kine-land,  there  lies, 
in  a  beautiful  valley  inclosed  by  the  spurs  of  the  Middle 
Carpathians,  a  small  village  named  Zauchtenthal.  For- 
merly a  sequestered  spot,  seldom  visited/oy  the  stranger,! 
it  is  now  a  station  on  the  railroad  fron/Cracow  to  Vienna.! 
In  this  village  David  Zeisberger  was\.born.  on  Good- 
Fridav,  the  11th  of  April ^1721. 

His  parents  were  David  and  Rosina  Zeisberger,  and 
their  progenitors  belonged  to  ^he  ancient  Church  of  the 


14 


IJFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


Bohemian  Brethren,  foui.docl,  sixty  years  before  the  Re- 
|oa™jUionjb\M\^^  of  John  IIuss.     He  came,  there- 

fore, of  an  ancestry  that  had  been  the  iirst  to  kindle  the 
torch  of  evangelical  truth  amid  the  darkress  of  the 
Middle  Ages;  and  was  born  in  a  valley  which  had 
heard  the  stirring  hymns  of  the  Brethren,  swelling  in 
harmony  from  their  modest  sanctuaries,  and  making 
glad  the  day  of  the  Lord.^ 

But  when  he  saw  the  light  of  the  world,  the  besom  of 
persecution  had,  long  since,  swept  ttie  Church  of  his 
fathers  from  the  land.    The  Reformers  before  the  Refor- 
mation were  forgotten,  except  by  a  few  of  their  descend- 
ants, who  groaned  under  the  yoke  of  Romish  oppression, 
and  longed  for  the  time  when  they  would  be  free.     That 
time  was  approaching.     God  had  already  sent  Ilis  mes- 
senger to  call  the  remnant  from  the  land  of  bondage. 
'One  ^-ear  after  tlie  birth  of  Zeisberger,  ten   Moravian 
'  emigrants,  guided  by  Christian  David,  "the  servant  of 
J;he  Lord,"^  fled  from  their  native  country,  under  cover 


1  Biographical  Skotcli  of  David  Zeisliergor,  written  in  Gcriiian,  by 
the  Kcv.  John  Heckcwcldcr,  MS.  Library  of  ^Moravian  Historical  iSo- 
cicty.  Tho  substancn  of  this  sivctcli  is  published  in  "  Nachrichtcii  aiis 
dor  liriidorgemeinc,"  and  transhitcd  into  English  in  "Periodical  Ac- 
counts," vol.  viii.  London,  I81JI. 

,     2  Christian  David  (born  December  31, 1000,  at  Senf.leben,  in  Moravia ; 

idled  February  8,  17.S1,  at  Ilerrnhut),  a  Roman  Catholic,  and  by  protes- 

jsion  a  carpenter,  having  been  converted,  became  a  zealous  (evangelist  of 

{Protestantism,  and   began  a  niissionary  work,  in  his   native   country, 

^  among  the  descendants  of  the  Hrethren,  which  resulted  in  u  general 

awakcming.     Having  n-eeived  i\w  promise  from  Count  Zinzendorf  of  a 

homo  fot*  ]\roravian  r(^fugees,  he  brought  a  number  of  them  to  Saxony, 

at  various  times.     Ho  aftei'ward  became  an  elder  of  the  Church,  and  was 

one  of  her  first  missionaries  to  Gritenland.    In  Moravian  history  he  bears 

the  title  of  "  the  servant  of  the  Lord." 


DAVID  ZEISBERGEK. 


15 


of  the  night,  took  their  way  to  Saxony,  aud  in  Upper 
Lusatia,  on  an  estate  of  Count  Zinzeudorf,  founded 
lierrnhut,  and  formed  the  nucleus  of  a  colony  in  the 
midst  of  which  their  venerable  Church  was  renewed.' 

When    Zeisberger ,.  was^  iive    years    old    hia_ jj^;ent8  ■ 
escaped  to  this  place  of  refuse,  with   their,  children 
(July,   1726).      They   had    considerable   possessions  at/ 
Zauchtenthal,  but  sacriticed  them  all  for  the  sake  o^ 
religious  liberty. 

Herrnhut,  however,  was  not  to  be  their  rest.     In  the  ^ 
year    1733,    that    noble  hearted    philanthropist,    James  ^Oj^ 
Oglethorpe,  founded  the  colony  of  Georgia.     It  was  an  J       ^^^ 
asylum  for  the  oppressed.     To  that  class  the  MoraviansJ    ^^  ^^^ 
now    belonged.      They   had   fallen   into   disfavor   with  ^^^o.    -• 
the    Saxon    Government,   and    it    became    a   question  ^-i. 


whether  they  would  be  permitted  to  remain  at  Herrn- 
hut. Hence  Zinzeudorf,  himself  an  exile  from  his 
native  country  through  the  machinations  of  embittered 
enemies,  secured  other  retreats.  One  of  these  was 
in    Georgia,    where    Augustus    Spangenberg^    received 


•  For  a  brief  account  of  Count  Zinzendorf  and  the  Monivian  Church, 
see  Appendix. 

'■'  Augustus  Gottlieb  Spangcnbcrg  (born  July  15,  1704,  at  Klettenborg,' 
in  Prussia ;  died  September  18,  1792  at  Bertheisdorf,  in  Saxony)  was  a 
professor  of  the  University  of  Halle,  and  an  assistant  director  of  tlw 
Orphan  House.  In  1733,  he  joined  the  Moravians,  having  been  de 
prived  of  his  oflSccs  at  Halle,  by  ti  royal  mandate,  on  account  of  his 
connection  with  their  Church.  He  subsequently  presided  over  the 
Church  in  America  for  nearly  eighteen  years.  In  1762,  he  entered  the 
Ger.eral  Executive  Board  of  the  Unitas  Fratrum,  and  died  in  that 
office,  in  the  eighty-ninth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  known  among 
Moravians  as  "Brother  Joseph,"  and  was  one  oi  her  greatest  men.         1 


16 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


'■from  the  Trustees,  for  the  Count,  five  hundred  acres  of 
land,  and,  for  himself,  fifty  acres  additional.     The  first 
if  these  tracts  lay  on  the  Ogeechee  River;  the  other 
formed  a  part  of  the  present  site  of  Savannaii. 
Htre  a  little  company  of  Moravians  settled  (1735), 
^planting  the  Church  of  their  fathers  in  that  Western 
\  "World  whose  existence  was  unknown  when,  at  the  fiery 
(  stake  of  Constance,  the  blood  of  Huss  became  her  seed. 
.  A  .=<eonnd  body  of  immigrants  JQliQ^ed  iiLJLT^B,  led  by 

\  Bishop  Nitschmann/^^Hs^  il^Bkil^^J^V^lili^-'-^SSS.'iliS? 
.and  among  them  were  David  and_Ro8ina_Zei8berger. 
;Soon    after,    the    Moravians   of   Georgia   organized   a 
j  church  (February  28,  1736),  choosing  Anthony  Seyfert, 
la  Bohemian  by  hirth,  as  their  pastOk.     Bishop  Nitsch- 
^mann  ordained  him,  in  the  presence  of  John  Wesley, 
who  thought  himself  transported  back  to  the  times  of 
the  Apostles  when  he  witnessed  the   impressive   sim- 
plicity of  the  act,  and  the  demonstration  of  power  and 
of  the  spirit  which  accompanied  it*     Thus,  ten  years 
after  having  fled  from  the  fertile  valley  of  their  Mora- 
vian   fatherland,  where    they    had    enjoyed    temporal 


'  David  Nitschniann  (born  December  27,  1696,  at  Zauchtenthal,  Mo- 
f  ravia ;  died  October  8,  1772,  at  Bethlehem,  Pa.)  was  ihe  lirst  bishop  of 
I  the  Renewed  Moravian  Church,  consecrated  at  Berlin  (March  13, 1736), 
1  by  Bishop  Daniel  Ernst  Jablonsky,  Court-Preacher  of  the  King  of 
t  Prussia,  and  Bishop  Christian  Sitkovius,  of  Poland,  the  two  survivors 
)  of  the  ancient  Moravian  Episcopate.  John  and  Charles  Wesley  crossed 
\  the  Atlantic  with  hin)  and  his  party,  which  led  to  that  fellowship 
I  whose  results  are  identitied  with  the  early  history  of  Methodism. 
I  After  paying  three  visits  to  America,  ho  settled  here  permanently 
l^in  1765. 

2  Wesley's  Journal,  i.  20. 


DAVID  ZEISBEROER. 


17 


prosperity  but  suftored  spiritual  bondage,  Zoisbcrger's 
parents  found  themselves  in  a  new  world,  amid  pri- 
meval forests,  pioneers  of  civilization  and  heralds  of 
the  Gospel  of  Christ. 

Dayid_\va3  not  with  them.  .  IIo  had  been   left   at 
IIoiTuhui.„til^fi i^i_Jiis^_^  At  sghoo,!  li(L  dis;  ^-^^^ 

tinguishcd  himself  bv  bis 


The  ^;,  ^ 


case^v/ith  which  he  acquired  Latin,  in  particular,  gave  """""V^fS^ 

early  evidence  of  the  extraordinary  facility  that  he 
afterward  displayed  in  learning  the  Indian  languages. 
Courage  and  resoluteness  were  the  prominent  traits 
of  his  character. 

When  ho  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  ho  attracted  the' 
notice  of  Count  Zinzondorf,  who  took  him  to  Holland, 
where,  at  the  invitation  of  the   Princess  Dowager  oiv^P 
Orange,  the   Moravians  had  established   a  settlement/*   ^'y. "• 
called  Ilerrendyk,  in  the  Barony  of  Ysselstein,  near  tlic  ^ 
City  of  Utrecht.     In  this  settlement  <vere  shops  belong 
ing  to  the  Church,   and  visited  by  the  gentry  of  th( 
surrounding    country.      David    was    employed    as    ai: 
errand-boy.    Active,  punctual,  and  mastering  the  Dutch 
with  little  trouble,  he  became  a   favorite  among  the 
customers. 

But  he  was  not  happy.  The  educational  principles  of 
the  Moravians  were  severe  to  a  fault.  Rigidly  enforcing 
a  system,  they  paid  no  regard  to  the  disposition  of  the 
individual.  Under  this  iron  rule  he  suffered ;  and,  on  a 
certain  occasion,  was  mercilessly  beaten  with  the  rod, 
although  innocent  of  the  fault  imputed  to  him.  Noi; 
was  this  the  greatest  of  his  trials. 


'!'  J' 
ll     i 


.:i. 


I  :  f 


Vv\J^ 


IH 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


One  day  a  gentleman  of  rank  visited  ITerrcndyk. 
Requesting  a  guide  to  Ysselstein,  Zeisberger  was  sent 
witli  liim,  and  so  won  liis  good-will  that  ho  offered  him 
an  unitsually  liberal  foe.  David  had  been  forbidden  to 
accept  i)resents  from  visitors  under  any  circumstances, 
and  therefore  declined  the  gift.  "You  must  take  it," 
said  the  gentleman,  "  I  feel  it  to  be  my  duty  to  give  you 
this  money.  Keep  it  for  yourself;  it  is  yours  !"  And 
pressing  the  gold  into  the  boy's  unwilling  hand,  he 
turned  away.  Poor  Zeisberger  was  in  great  perplexity. 
The  stern  prohibition  in  regard  to  fees  waa  ringing  in 
his  ears.  "If  I  conceal  this  occurrence,"  he  reasoned, 
"it  will  be  an  act  of  disobedience;  if  I  make  it  known, 
and  deliver  the  fee,  my  story  will  not  be  credited."  At 
last  he  concluded  to  keep  one  half  of  the  money,  and 
carry  the  other  half  to  his  employers.  But  the  very 
suspicion  which  he  wished,  by  these  means,  to  avert, 
immediately  fell  upon  him.  "No  stranger,"  said  his 
frowning  Brethren,  "ever  gives  so  large  a  reward  as  this 
to  an  errand-boy !  You  have  not  come  honestly  by  this 
money.  Hold!  "VVe  will  expose  your  wickedness." 
Two  persons  took  him  back  to  Ysselstein,  in  order  to 
confront  him  with  the  gentleman.  But  he  had  left  the 
place,  and  no  one  knew  whither  he  had  gone.  Instead, 
therefore,  of  establishing  his  innocence,  Zeisberger 
returned  to  Herrendyk,  stigmatized  as  a  liar  and  a 
thief. 

This  he  determined  not  to  brook.  Findiuir  a  fellow- 
countryman,  John  Michael  Schober,  equally  indignant 
with  the  tyranny  they  were  enduring,  he  proposed  to 


5^ 


^ 


:1 


ili  C^'y^Aa^AJtJOLj 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


19 


him  to  run  away.     Scliober  consented,  and  their  attempt 
proved  succcsstiil.     The  quiet  settlement  hiy  behind,  the 
wide  worhl  before  them.     But  they  did  not  intend  to 
misuse  their  t'reodom.     Tlieir  fathers'  God  Avas  still  to 
be  their  God,  and  His  people  their  people.    Resolved  no 
longer  to  submit  to  the  yoke  of  Ilerrendyk,  they  were  no 
less  resolved  to  seek  some  other  eolony  of  the  Brethren  ; 
bat  to  which  one  they  should  bend  their  steps  was  a 
question  that  caused  them  no  little  disagreement.     Zcis; 
bergcrjvan ted jUj^ Joi n  his  parentsJnjGeoi'^ia ;  Schober 
was  afraid  of  such  an  undertaking,  and  insisted  upon 
going  to  Ilorrnhut.    At  last,  however,  he  yielded.    "  That 
is  right,"  said  David;  "you  will  see  that  God  will  pros 
per  us."     This  was  the  hope  with  which  the  two  friend 
less  kids,  not  seventeen  years  of  age,  resolutely  set  thei 
faces  toward  the  Western  World. 

Having  heard  that  General  Ogletliorpe,  who  was  then 
in  London,  took  an  active  interest  in  the  Moravian 
colony  of  Georgia,  they  concluded  to  go  to  England  and 
ask  his  assistance.  They  found  a  vessel  which  was  on 
the  point  of  sailing  to  that  country,  and  secured  a  pas- 
sage with  the  money  which  Zeisberger  had  retained  of 
the  amount  given  him  by  the  stranger  at  Ysselstein.  To 
this  end  that  man  had  been  prompted  to  reward  him  so 
liberally.  His  gold  was  to  speed  the  future  missionary 
to  his  field  of  labor. 

Through  the  kind  offices  of  the  landlord  of  a  German 
inn  in  London,  they  obtained  an  interview  withGeneral 
Oglethorpe,  who  no  sooner  heard  the  story  of  their 
wrongs  than  he  warmly  espoused  'heir  cause,  gave  them 


il^J 


§ 


20. 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


money,  supplied  tlicm  with  clothing,  and  procured  a  free 
I)assago  for  them  in  a  sliip  ready  to  weigh  anchor  for 
Savannah.  Thus  were  Zeisberger's  pious  anticipations 
fulfilled. 

Before  embarking,  he  wrote  a  letter  to  I)ajaiLiJccke- 
welder,  one  of  the  clergy  at  Ilerrendyk,  and  the  father 
of  the  celebrated  missionary,  with  whom  he  subse- 
quently spent  many  years  among  the  Indians,  setting 
forth  the  cause  of  their  flight,  and  informing  him  of 
their  future  plans. 

The  voyage  across  the  Atlantic  was  expeditious.  But 
Schobor  soon  Jell  a.yictim,  to  the  cliniato  and  died.  Zeis- 
berger  took  up  his  abode  with  his  parents ;  he  had  grown 
out  of  their  recollection,  and  they  were  overwhelmed 
with  astonishment  when  he  announced  himself  to  be 
their  son. 

Little  did  they  anticipate  that  he  was  destined  to  be- 
come a  chosen  vessel  unto  the  Lord,  to  bear  Ilis  name 
before  the  gentiles.  Yet  such  was  the  purpose  of  God. 
His  overruling  providence  had  brought  the  intrepid  lad 
to  America.  While  those  traits  of  character  were  mani- 
fested, in  this  flight  to  the  Xew  World,  which  afterward 
distinguished  the  zealous  missionary,  whom  no  wilder- 
ness, however  tangled,  could  keep  from  the  Lidians,  and 
no  peril,  liowever  imminent,  could  deter  from  duty,  there 
are  also  revealed  a  divine  plan  and  counsels  more  than 
liuman.  In  later  years,  Zeisberger  himself  acknowl- 
edged this.  *'  From  the  day  I  left  the  Brethren  in  Hol- 
land," he  writes,  "to  the  day  of  my  arrival  in  Georgia, 
the  Lord  graciously  preserved  me  from  all  harm,  in  body 


DAVID  ZEISBEROER. 


21 


and  in  soul.  I  was  in  great  danger  of  being  seduced  to 
ffross  wickedness ;  but  the  Lord  Jield  Ilis  hand  over  nie. 
At  tlie  time,  I  never  realized  this  danger.  Subsequently, 
however,  it  became  plain  to  me,  and  I  liave  often  thanked 
my  Saviour  for  His  protection.  Upon  the  whole,  I  see 
the  finger  of  God  in  all  that  occurred  ;  hence  I  can  the 
more  readily  forgive  the  Brethren  in  Holland  the  injus- 
tice which  I  sufiered  at  their  hands.  Indeed,  I  have 
forgiven  them  from  my  heart." 

A  few  weeks  after  Ins  arrival  in  Georgia  he  engaged 
in  an  adventure  which  again  showed  his  fearlessness,  but 
which  nearly  cost  him  his  life.  Hearing  of  the  devasta-^ 
tions  committed  by  the  deer  in  the  rice-fields  of  the  set- 
tlement, he  went  out  one  night,  armed  with  a  heavy 
rifle,  to  the  place  where  they  were  accustomed  to  break 
through  the  inclosure,  climbed  up  a  tree,  and  fired  at  the 
approaching  herd.  The  recoil  of  the  weapon  in  his  inex- 
perienced hands  was  so  great  that  he  lost  his  balance, 
and  fell  senseless  to  the  ground.  In  this  state  he  re- 
mained for  hours,  with  a  deep  and  dangerous  wound 
in  his  head.  When  consciousness  at  last  returned,  he 
dragged  himself  to  the  nearest  cabin,  where  he  was 
cared  for. 

Zeisberger^8_jta^n_Georgi^^  great  benefit  to\ 

him ;  it  ^"gjj^tjbini  to  endure  privations.  The  settlers 
were  poor,  and  although  they  did  not  actually  sufier 
want,  yet  their  mode  of  life  was  very  different  from  that 
to  which  he  had  been  accustomed  in  a  luxurious  coun- 
try like  Holland.  He  now  received  the  training  ofan 
Ainerican  pioneer  and  backwoodsman.    At  the  same 


Si 


u^ 


22 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


time  his  intercourse  witli  Pe^crJ^oghlci-,'  the  pastor  of 

the  church,  who  took  a  partieulur  interest  in  him,  served 

to  develop  his  mind.     Thir^  was  especially  tiic  case  in  the 

year  1730,  the  greater  part  of  which  Boehler  spent  at 

L/  Puryshurg,  a  small  German  settlement  in  South  Caro- 

P(/^',  Una,  twenty  miles  from  Savannah,  with  the  intention  of 

I  i  /)     jl/^^Xpi't^aching  the  Gospel  to  the  negro  slaves.     After  the 

"'  |o^*^   ,    '        death  of  his  associate,  Zeirfhorger  was  his  sole  compan- 

f  ion  for  several  months,  and  had  the  benefit  of  his  daily 

J  instruction.     In  later  years,  Zeishorger  often  spoke  of 

his  abode  in  Georgia  and  South  Carolina  as  a  pleasant 

and  profitable  time. 

It  was,  however,  of  short  duration.  War  having 
broken  out  between  England  and  Spain  (1739),  the 
Spaniards  of  Florida  threatened  to  attack  the  Georgia 
colony,  which  flew  to  arms.  Th^e^ Moravians  stood  aloof, 
as  the  beariiijjof  jirnisj\v_a^CQntr£U]y  to  thch^ 
and,  eventually,  in  consequence  of  the  disturbances 
which  ensued,  and  the  want  of  harmony  among  them- 
selves, broke  up  their  settlement.  A  remnant  proceeded 
to   Pennsylvania,  arriving   at   Philadelphia   in   George 


1  Burn,  Deccmbor  Gl,  1712,  at  Franktbrt-on-tho-Miiin,  and  celobrntod 
as  tho  agiMit,  in  God's  hands,  through  whom  John  Wesley,  the  fovindcr 
of  Methodism,  was  converted.  Having  been  clucated  at  the  Univer- 
sities of  Jena  and  Leip.-ic,  he  joined  the  Moravian  Cliiireli  in  1736,  and 
in  1738  went  to  Georgia  and  South  Carolina,  where  he  labored  until  1740, 
when  he  proceeded  to  Pennsylvania,  and  in  the  following  year  returned 
to  Europe.  In  1742  he  came  back  to  America,  and  remained  until  1745. 
In  1748  he  was  oonsec.'rated  a  bishop,  and  labored  in  England,  revisiting 
America  in  175:],  and  continuing  his  work  hero  until  17G4,  when  ho  en- 
tered the  General  Exi^entive  Board  of  the  Church  in  Saxony,  and  died 
in  Li  ndon,  April  27, 1774,  while  on  an  official  visit  to  England. 


c-rr.' 


:} 


DAVID  ZEJSDERGER.  23 

Wbitclield's  sloop  (April  25,  1740),  after  a  voyage  of 
twelve  days  from  Savamiah. 

AVhitetield  accompanied  the  party,  and  engaged  tliem 
to  build  a  scliool-house  for  negro  children,  on  a  tract  of 
live  thousand  acres  of  land,  which  he  had  purclui.sed  iu 
the  "  Fori-cs  of  the  Delaware,"  now  Northampton  County. 
Thither    accordingly  journeyed,    on    foot,  with    PeterN 
Boehler  at  their  liead,  seven  men,  two  women,  and  two  / 
lads,  one   of  whom  was  David  Zeisberger,  and,  in  the  V 
midst  of  a  wilderness,  began   an   edifice  which  is  still  I 
standing,  a  venerable  structure  of  unhewn  stone,  known] 
as  the  MVhitcJicld  House. 

Ere  long,  however,  differences  arose  between  liim  and') 
the  Moravians,  fostered  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  Scotch-  v 
Irish  settlements,  and  he  ordered  them  to  leave  his  landj 
"  forthwith." 

In  great  distress,  without  money  or  friends,  they  asked 
God  to  help  them.  As  if  in  answer  to  their  prayers, 
Bishop  Nitschmann  arrived  from  Europe,  bearing  a 
commission  to  buy  land  in  Pennsylvania  and  found  a 
Moravian  settlement.  Ten  miles  to  the  south  of  White- 
field's  improvements,  a  tract  was  selected  on  the  Lehigh 
Iliver.  In  spite  of  intensely  cold  weather  and  a  deep 
snow,  the  now  rejoicing  immigrants  began  to  clear  the 
ground,  and  erected  their  first  cabin.  In  September, 
1741,  Nitschmann  laid  the  corner-stone  for  a  chapel.' 
Three  months  later.  Count  Zinzeudorf,  who  had  mean- 


1  It  was  a  large  structure  of  logs,  containing,  besides  the  chajiel,  a 
number  of  (Iwelling-rooms.  This  house  is  still  standing,  on  Church 
Street,  at  Bethlehem,  but  entirely  remodeled. 


1 


24 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


II  '11 

m 


while  reached  the  country,  celehrated  Christmas  with 

ilia  Brethren,  and  gave  to  the  new  settlement  the  name 

'of  Bethlehem.     This  place  soon  became,  and  has  always 

Iremained,  thgs.  chief  scat  of  the  Moravian   Church  in 

(A_n\erica.' 

/  In  the  following  year  a  company  of  sixty-seven  Mora- 
vians, from  Saxo'iy  and  England,  arrived  at  Bethlehem. 
Those  were  stirring  times  for  young  Zeisberger.  He 
loved  the  broad  forests  of  Pennsylvania;  he  loved  the 
hardy  life  he  was  leading;  he  loved  to  fish,  to  hunt,  to 
fell  trees,  and  build  houses.  It  was,  therefore,  a  bitter 
disappointment  for  him  when  the  elders  of  the  Church, 
with  the  consent  of  his  parents,  designated  him  as  one 
of  the  escort  which  was  to  accompany  Count  Zinzendorf 
to  Europe.^ 

On  the  9th  of  January,  1743,  the  ship  James,  which 
had  been  chartered  by  the  Church  to  bring  immigrants 
to  America,  lay  ready  for  her  return-voyage.  The  Count 
was  on  board,  surrounded   by  numerous   friends,  and 


.1 


1  Bethlehem,  togotnor  with  scvonil   otlior   Moravian  vilhigcs   in  its 

vicinity,  constituted,  nt  first,  an  altogether   peculiar  settlement.     The 

i  inhabitants  were  united  as  one  family,  and  established,  not  a  commu- 

;  nity  of  goods,  for  eacn  one  retained  his  own  private  property,  but  of 

.  labor  and  housekeeping.     All  worked  for  the  Churc'    at  their  respective 

I  professions  ;  and  the  Church  gave  all  a  sup[)()rt,  realizing,  besides,  suffi- 
cient moans  to  pay  for  her  land,  and  to  sustain,  in  a  great  measure,  the 
^  Mission  among  the  Indians.  This  arrangement,  which  bore  the  namo 
j  of  "The  Economy,"  was  dissolved  by  common  consent  in  1702,  after  an 
^  existence  of  twenty  years,  and  the  individual  inhabitants  became  owners 
of  the  real  estate  by  purchase.  Bethlehem  is  no  longer  an  exclusively 
Moravian  town,  but  a  large  and  flourishing  borough. 
/  2  Zeisberger  lost  both  his  parents  a  few  years  after  this.  His  father 
}d'nid  at  Bethlehem,  August  25,  1744,  and  his  motlier,  at  the  same  ()lacc, 
f  February  23,  1746. 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


25 


encao-ed  in  animated  conversation.  Zcisbcrger  stood, 
unnoticed  and  alone,  in  a  retired  part  of  the  vessel, 
mournfully  gazing  upon  the  land  of  his  choice,  which 
he  was  about  to  leave  perhaps  forever.  The  signal  for 
departure  roused  him  from  his  reverie.  With  bursting 
heart  he  watched  his.  associates,  who  had  come  to  bid 
their  friends  farewell,  as,  one  by  one,  they  left  the  ship. 
"  Cast  otf  the  cable !"  commanded  Captain  Garrison.^ 
In  that  moment  Bishop  Xitschmann,  who  had  been  the 
last  to  take  leave  of  Zinzendorf,  passed  by,  and,  observ- 
ing Zeisbergcr's  dejected  looks,  stopped  short. 

"David,"  said  he,  "do  you  not  return  to  Europe 
willingly  ?" 

"jSTo,  indeed!"  was  Zeisberger's  reply.  "I  would 
much  rather  remain  in  America." 

"For  what  reason?" 

"  I  long  to  be  truly  converted  to  God,  and  to  serve 
Ilim  in  this  country." 

Surprised  and  rejoiced  at  this  answer,  the  bishop 
said,  "  If  this  be  so,  and  I  were  in  your  place,  I  would 
at  once  return  to  Bethlehem." 


1  Nicholas  Garrison  was  born  on  Staton  Island,  in  1701,  began  lifo  as  a\ 
sailor  in  his  twoll'th  year,  and  subsequently  commanded  various  vessels  / 
and  sailed  to  many  parts  of  the  world.  In  1788,  ho  made  'he  acquaint-  { 
anco  of  Count  Zinzendorf  in  St.  Thomas,  and  after  taking  him  to  Europe  i 
in  the  Juries,  traveled  with  him  to  Germany,  where  ho  joined  the  Mo- ' 
ravian  Church.  In  the  course  of  time,  ho  took  tho  command  of  her  . 
missionary  vessel,  and  served  her  faithfully  in  this  capacity  for  a  number  ; 
of  years,  going  as  far  as  Greenland  and  Surinam.  Having  retired  from  ». 
the  sea,  lie  lived  for  some  time  in  Germany.  In  1703  ho  returned  to  \ 
America,  and  took  up  his  abode  at  Bethlehem,  where  he  died,  at  the  ago  I 
of  eighty-one  years,  September  24,  1781. 


26 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


Zeisberger  did  not  wait  to  br  :old  a  secoiia  time,  but 
hurrying  with  the  bishop  from  the  vessel  in  the  hist 
moment  in  which  this  was  possible,  went  his  way  re- 
joicing to  the  quiet  settlement  amid  the  wilds  of  Penn- 
sylv^ania. 

The  desire  was  sincere  which  he  had  expressed,  of 
feeling  in  his  own  heart  the  regenerating  power  of  the 
Gospel  of  Cln-ist.  He  had  experienced  it  for  a  long 
time,  and  it  grew  in  intensity  after  his  return  to  Beth- 
lehem. In  later  years,  when  speaking  of  this  period  of 
his  life,  he  said:  "At  that  time  my  heart  was  not  yet 
converted  to  God,  but  I  longed  to  enjoy  His  grace,  and 
that  fully."  A  serious  conversation,  which  his  friend 
Biittner  had  wnth  him,  upon  the  subject  of  religion, 
deepened  the  impressions  which  he  had  received,  and, 
at  last,  he  passed  from  darkness  into  light. 

One  day,  the  young  men  of  the  community  reverentlj'^ 
united  in  singing,  at  their  dinner-table,  in  the  way  of 
grace,  a  German  hymn  treating  of  the  love  of  Christ.* 
Its  words  pierced  his  heart  like  a  two-edged  sword.  lie 
burst  into  tears,  left  the  table,  and  spent  the  whole  after- 
noon in  weeping  and  praying,  until  he  found  the  peace 
of  God  which  passeth  all  understanding. 

In  the  holy  tire  of  his  first  love,  he  resolved  to  devote 
his  life  to  the  spread  of  the  Gospel  among  the  aborigines 
of  his  adopted  country,  and  immediately  made  known 
this  determiiuition  to  the  elders  of  the  Church. 


1  An  English  translation  of  (hi-  liynin  is  found  in  tliu  Hymn  Book  of 
tho  Moravian  Cluirch,  No.  17. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


27 


Thus  was  the  divine  purpose,  to  which  David  Zeis- 
berger  had  been  foreordained,  worked  out  by  God  him- 
eolf,  in  Ilis  own  time  and  way.  As  He  had  called  John 
Eliot,  in  a  former  century,  to  be  the  apuatle  of  the  I^ew 
England  Indians,  so  he  now  set  apart  this  young  man 
to  be  the  apostle  of  the  Indians  of  the  West. 


28 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER    11. 

THE  INDIANS  AT  THE  TIME  WHEN  EUROPEANS  BEGAN  TO  SET- 
TLE  ON  THE  NORTU  AMERICAN  CONTINENT.— U97-1620. 


i 


Obscurity  of  Indian  history. — The  generic  stocks  of  the  Indians  oast  of 
the  Mississippi. — Traditions  of  the  Algor^juins  and  Iroquois. — The 
Alftonquin  family. — The  Iroquois  Confederacy. — First  European  set- 
tloments.— Manner  of  life  and  character  of  the  Indians  in  this  period. 
—  The  Delawarcs  made  women  by  the  Iroquois. — Traditions  and 
history. — Population  of  the  Indian  tribes. 

The  race,  to  the  evangelization  of  which  Zeisberger 

resolved  to  devote    his  life,  stands    forth  among  the 

savage  nations  of  the  earth  a  people  of  general  interest 

/and  strange  mystery.     It  is  the  theme  of  romance,  the 

jsubject  of  the  poet's  song,  the  topic  of  the  philosopher's 

speculations,  and  yet  continues  an  unsolved  problem  in 

ethnography.     Neither  the  origin  of  the  Indianaj^iiQr 

th^'appea.rance._^ugon  the  cpnthieuto^f  Aij^ei^^        ever 

i  been  satisfactorily  explainQd.*    Even  that  part  of  their 

/  history  which  immediately  precedes  the  corning  of  the 

)  white   man    is   shrouded  in    obscurity.     The  inquirer 

meets  with   nothing  but  traditions  and  fables.     And 

when  the  European  chronicler  takes  up  th^  subje^^^'^ 


'  Among  the  earliest  Moravian  missionaries  the  well-known  theory 
.prevailed,  that  the  Indians  are  the  descendants  of  the  lost  ten  tribes  of 
•^j  Israel.  Zeisberger,  however,  seems  not  to  have  entertained  this  opinion. 
II  have  found  no  trace  of  it  in  any  of  his  writings. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGEB. 


29 


there  ensue  such  widely  difl'erent  accounts,  and  such 
frequent  changes  among  the  natives,  that  the  Indian,  in 
man}'  particulars,  remains  half  hidden  amid  his  forests.* 
Tlio  present  narrative  will  be  confined.  to^Jhose_abo- 
riffines  who  lived  east  of  the  Mississippi  Eiver.  It  will 
not  enter  into  any  critical  investigations,  but  will  serve 
merely  as  one  part  of  the  introduction  which  the  history 
that  we  propose  writing  calls  for ;  settj^gJo,^d)^l  j)_ar J 
ticular,  os  interesting  relics^  those  traditions,  touching  / 
the  eTirlv  times  of  the  Indians  with  Avhich  Zcisberger! 


*, 


■'K^^-O...!.^ 


met.^ 

v..  --  '  ' 


2r  atj 


>  By  far  the  bi^st  records  of  the  Indians  in  the  seventeenth  century  are 
the  so-calle^  Je^^uit  jRg^ailipKS,  consisting  of  the  reports  of  tlio  Je; 
missionaries  transmitted,  every  year,  to  the  Provincial  of  the  order 
Paris,  and  there  published. 

2  Besides  the  various  general  sources — among  which  .^clmolcraftjs 
32lii§_JU;£,  *^^'^'^.?iUl].»lXJiH^>cURl).lc,  however  necessary  it  is  to  consult  \ 
them — and  Bancroft's  admirable  chapter  oji  tho^  ludinos.  in  J'jsjiistory  i 
oi^llc^.JJ_.^,.^  (vol.  iii.  chap,  xxii.),  the  above  sketch  is  based,  mainly, 
upon  the  investigations  of  Zeisberger  himself,  and  of  his  fellow-mis- 
sionaries. In  the  archives  of  the  Church  at  Bethlehem,  Pa.,  I  was  for- 
tunate enough  to  find  a  voluminous  German  MS.,  buried  out  of  sight. 
It  was  written  by  Zeisberger,  in  1778,  as  is  clear  from  its  allusions  to 
national  events  of  that  year,  although  it  bears  no  date;  and  it  contains 
a  full  account  of  the  Indian  nations  with  which  ho  was  acquainted. 
Internal  evidences  in  Loskiol's  work,  as  well  as  the  acknowledgment 
which  he  makes  (Preface,  x.),  prove  conclusively  that  the  entire  first  part 
of  his  history  is  based  upon  this  MS.  I  have  no  doubt  that  Zeisberger 
wrote  it  specially  for  Loskiel's  use.  The  latter  lived  in  Europe,  and 
had  no  per,sonal  knowledge  of  the  Indians  until  after  the  publication  of 
his  work.  Tliis  MS.  has  been  invaluable  to  me.  For  the  cor-v-niencc 
of  reference  I  shall  call  it  "  Zcis_bcr2;er'.s^Jtistory  of  the  Indians." 
Publi-shed  works  are,  '' Hi,sJittj^^ojLJjj£jJLj§sjpn,p£.thoJJj^^ 
\nmong_tjio_Jjji^linn3„ija..J^jarUj_^mcrica,  in  three  parts,  by  George  H. 
iLosklel,  translated  from  the  German  by  Christian  Ignatius  Latrobe." 
London,  1794.  >'  An^A^fioiintpfiJjQ  History,  Iilanncrs,  and  Customs  of 
the  Indian  Is  ations  who  once  inhabited  Pennsylvania  and  the.oeigh- 
boring  Sjatcs,  l^y^PY:. Z^"^"  neckewcldcr."    Philadelphia,  1818. 


30 


LIFE  AND   TniES  OF 


!■!  ^:|! 


!'<1 


Thqse  natives  existed  in  a  multitude  of  tribes  and  of 

8mall(y'  clans.     Their  generic  stocks,  however,  were  few 

in   number,  and    may  bo   reduced,  upon   the   basis  of 

•Cradicallj  distinct  languages,  to  the  following  eight:  the 

/Mpljilian,  Natchez,  Uchee,  Cherokee,  Catawba,  Dahcota, 

JIurou-Irpquois,  aiid  Algonquin. 

The  Cherokees  had  their  seats  in  the  upper  valley  of 

the  Tennessee  River,  and  among  the  mountains  of 
"Western  Carolina,  Georgia,  and  Alabama.  It  is  a 
country  that  from  its  lofty  hills  proclaims  the  wonderful 
works  of  God.  The  Indian  must  have  felt  this  in  his 
day.  Climbing  over  the  moss-covered  rocks  of  the  peak 
now  known  as  Mt.  Mitchell,  the  highest  summit  in  the 
United  States  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  emerg- 
ing from  its  deep  forest  of  black  balsams,  the  hunter 
beheld,  as  far  as  his  eye  could  reach,  one  vast  wilderness 
of  mountains,  crowned  with  chaplets  of  clouds,  and 
standing,  in  silent  majesty,  the  impregnable  bulwarks  of 
his  country.  The  rich  valleys  abounded  in  game  of 
every  variety;  and  the  winding  streams,  which  he  could 
see  sparkling  in  the  morning  sun,  teemed  with  fish. 
Within  this  secluded  territory  the  Cherokee  lived  safe 
from  every  foe. 

Not    so    favored   were    the    Natchez.      Their    land 
stretched  south  of  the  Yazoo  River,  in  the  present  State 


I 


of  Mississippi,  and  was  a  narrow  country,  with  but  four 
or  five  villages,  where,  fev  in  number,  the  tribe  wor- 
7*  shiped  the  Great  Sun,  from  which  it  claimed  descent. 
The  lichees,  too,  were  a  weak  nation,  dwelling  south- 
east of  the  Cherokees,  in  the  region  above  and  below 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


31 


the  town  of  Augusta.  At  an  early  period  the  Creeks 
subdued  tliem,  so  that  their  right  to  a  generic  position 
rests  upon  traditionary  sayings. 

Far  more  numerous  and  powerful  was  thoJV^ql^irian 
or  Floridian  stock  of  Indians.     To  it  belonged  that  wide  /    .(^  J 
territory  which  extends  from  the  former  seats  of  the  |     "'■'^-<- 
Cherokees   south,  southeast,  and  west,  to  the  Atlantic  )/^,  ^  y 


•>«v 


'Vf 


.0\ 


and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  to  the  Mississi[)pi,  and  where 
the  waters  of  the  Tennessee  and  of  the  Ohio  mingle.     In  ■  '■^  ,m, 
this   region  lived   three  confederacies, — the^J^hi^clvasaSj^^  ^■•«— - 

Chog^iSj  and    Creeks^,  emhraQiug  various,  subordijiat,©. 

tribes. 

.^-  - — 

East  of  the  Cherokecs,  in  the  midlands  of  Carolina,  \    ^ 
the  Catawhas  had  their  home.     They  did   not  count '-"* -f-Vi' ('<>>' - 
many  warriors,  but  they  were  brave,  and  the  inveterate 
qnemies  of  the   Iroquois,  with  whom   they  continually 
warred. 

The  Dahcotas  dwelt,  for  the  most  part,  west  of  the  Mis 
sissippi,  and  belonged  to  a  great  and  potent  fiimily ;  but 
bands  of  them  pitched  their  camps  in  the  prairies  east 
of  the  river,  and  these  must  find  a  place  in  the  present  I  /  )  -; 
enumeration.      They  were  the  hereditary  foes. of  tl^e/    "    ""^'^-'---^ 
ChJppewas,  and  are  also  and  perhaps  better  known  by 
the,  name  of  Sioux.    4r  small  branch  of  t.heni,calledjtlie 
^Yi^JiC.]jag0.es,  dwelt  in  the  midst  of  Algonquin  tribes  on 
the  western  shore  of  Lake  Michigan.  ~~' 

By  far  the  most  prominent  nations,  in  the  times  of) 
Zeisberger,  were  the  Algonquins  and  the  Iluron-Iro-/ 
qnois.  These,  therefore,  claim  a  more  extended  inves-! 
tigation. 


/f; 


32 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


,;  '         At  tlie  head  of  the  former  group,  "  the  grandfathers  " 
iT-'j/    of  all  its  many  trihes,  stood  tlic  DcLawarcs.     In  their 
own   tongue    they  were   known   as  the  Lenni-Lenapo, 
Qi:.. I' Original  rcople."     The  Iroquois,  who  eventually 
f  \   [ahsorhed  the  other  group,  called  themselves  Aquano- 
i scliioni,  or  "  United  People."  ^    They  were  the  celebrated 
t       y       Five,  afterward  Six,  Nations  of  colonial  history.' 

*"  Delaware  traditions  unfold  an  interesting  narrative.' 
,'  Several  centuries  before  the  eye  of  the  white  man  first 
J  beheld  the  primeval  glories  of  the  American  continent 
the  Lenni-Lenape  lived  in  a  country  of  the  Far  West. 
At  a  time  which  they  do  not  pretend  to  determine,  and 
for  reasons  of  which  they  are  ignorant,  many  of  their 
fathers  emigrated  toward  the  east,  and  came  as  far  as 
the  Mississippi.  Upon  its  banks  were  encamped  the 
.Aquanoschioni,  moving  eastward,  like  the  Lenape,  in 


1  The  Dclawarcs  are  often  represented  as  but  one  division  of  the  Lenni- 

Lcnape,  the  other  being  the  Monseys,  or  Minsi.     Zeisberger,  however, 

'  particularly  asserts  the  identity  of  the  names  Delawarcs  and  Lenni-Le- 

,napo,  and  shows  that  they  designated  one  nation,  consisting  of  three 

[tribes,  whereof  the  third  was  the  Monseys. 

'     2  Great  confusion  prevails  among  the  names  of  the  various  Indian 
/  tribes,  on  account  of  the  numerous  synonyms  which  came  into  use.    This 
f  holds  good  of  the  Iroquois  also.     Iroquois  is. their  French  nanio.;  Six 
I  Nations  their  English  ;   Aquanoschioni  one  .ef  thoir_..yriginul,l!am(^  ; 
!  and  Ilodenosaunee,  pr  "People  of  the  Long  Ilousej"  another.     It  has 
been  maintained  that  Aquanoschioni  is  a  corruption  of  Ilodenosaunee,  and 
.  that  they  did  not  themselves  make  use  of  if.     But  the  latter  assertion  is 
disjiroved  by  facts.     I;i  all  the  many  negotiations  which  Zeisberger  car- 
ried on  with  their  Grand  Council  they  invariably  employed  the  name 
Aquanoschioni  when  speaking  of  themselves,  as  his  journals  abundantly 
show.      Lafitau  and  Charlevoix,  two  Jesuit  missionaries,  translate  it 
"House-Makers." 

'  Ilcckcwd^r's  Hist,  of  the  Indian  Nations,  chapter  i.    Schoolcraft. 
^Hist-^^LtTie  Jfldkm  iribQS  pf  th^^^^  Part  vi.  170-178. 


9 


n>f^\.r  'J 


DAVID  ZEISBEROER. 


83 


Ifothcrs  " 

In  their 

-Lenape, 

% 

rentually 

Ac[uano- 

clobrated 

2 

arrativc* 

•yj 

man  first 

•'■■:^- 

'ontincnt 

■> 

ar  West. 

line,  and 

of  tlieir 

' 

as  far  as 

iped  the 

niape,  in 

tlio  Lenni- 

',  however, 

Lenni-Lc- 

ig  of  three 

0U3  Indian 

)  use.    This 

^ni 

nanio^Six 

uiLuanK^ ; 

3j\     It  has 

;aunec,  and 

assertion  is 

hcrgor  car- 

tho  name 

ibundantly 

.-'f^ 

ranskitc  it 

■5* 


search  of  new  homes.  The  two  nations,  meeting  thus 
unexpectedly,  interchanged  the  courtesies  of  Indian  life. 
Before  them  rolled  the  mighty  river  of  which  their  old 
men  had  told  them  when  sitting  in  the  lodges  of  their 
distant  hunting-grounds,  and  beyond  its  deep  waters  lay 
an  unknown  country,  amid  whose  hills  and  within 
whose  valleys  they  hoped  to  find  rich  lands  that  would 
rejoice  their  hearts.  But  to  reach  these  they  had  to| 
traverse  the  territory  of  the  Alligevyi,  or  Allegans,  a  fierce  - 
and  warlike  people,  with  whom  the  Lenape  entered  intoj 
negotiations,  obtaining  permission  to  advance.  Scarce 
a  moiety  of  them,  however,  had  crossed  the  river  when 
the  Alligewi,  alarmed  at  the  number  of  the  strangers, 
treacherously  attacked  them.  In  a  juncture  so  perilous, 
the  Aquanoschioni,  who  had  been  watching  the  course 
of  events,  hastened  to  oflFer  their  assistance.  An  offen- 
sive alliance  having  been  concluded  between  the  two 
nations,  they  unitedly  fell  upon  the  Alligewi.  Fierce 
battles  ensued;  much  blood  was  shed;  many  heroic 
deeds  were  performed,  until  at  last  the  Alligewi,  ex- 
hausted and  dismayed  by  a  succession  of  defeats,  fled 
with  their  women  and  children  from  the  broad  valley  of 
the  Ohio.  The  victors  divided  the  hunting-grounds 
which  they  had  gained.  Around  the  Great  Lakes,  and 
on  the  banks  of  their  tributary  rivers,  settled  the  Aqua- 
noschioni; farther  to  the  south  the  Lenape  built  their 
villages.  Thus  domiciliated,  the  two  nations  for  a  long 
period  of  time  lived  in  amity  and  peace. 

In  the  course  of  years  some  adventurous  hunters  of 
the  Delawares  conceived  the  idea  of  exploring  the  coun- 

8 


(\    ■ •' 


\. 


M 


iiiii 


r-w^/v 


^     •    »   w') 


34 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


try  eastward.  Pressing  tlirongh  forests  where  none  of 
their  nation  had  ever  been,  thoy  reached  the  Allcgluuiy 
Mountains,  and,  crossing  these,  came  to  tlie  West 
Branch  of  the  Susquehanna.  Upon  the  bosom  of  this 
beautiful  river  they  hiunched  a  l)ark-canoe,  and  followed 
its  winding  current  between  lofty  hills  and  through  rich 
lowlands,  until  tlioir  astonished  eyes  beheld  the  broad 
expanse  of  Chesapeake  Bay  gleaming  like  a  sea  of  silver 
in  the  noonday  sun.  Leaving  their  canoe,  they  plunged 
into  the  tangled  thickets  of  the  Eastern  Shore,  and, 
speeding  across  the  level  plains  of  Delaware,  stood  on 
the  bank  of  a  second  river  rolling  in  silent  majesty  to 
the  ocean.  The  farther  they  advanced  the  bolder  they 
grew.  Perhaps  a  third  stream,  deep  and  wide,  like 
those  which  they  had  discovered,  might  yet  bo  found ; 
nfcr  were  they  disappointed.  Ere  long  they  scaled  tl^e 
Highlands  of  the  Hudson,  and  looked  down  from  the 
rocky  Palisades  upon  the  sleeping  waters  of  Tappan  Sea. 
They  had  traversed  a  wide  territory  where  the  smoke  of 
not  a  solitary  wigwam  was  seen;  where  no  war-whoop 
met  their  ears ;  where  onlj-  the  carols  of  birds  and  the 
crashing  of  the  bushes  under  the  feet  of  the  startled 
deer  and  the  heavy  step  of  the  bear  trudging  to  his  den, 
broke  the  solemn  silence  which  nature  kept. 

With  wondering  hearts  the  intrepid  explorers  hastened 
back  to  the  council-fire  of  their  nation  and  reported  their 
I  discoveries.  A  part  of  the  Lenape  immediately  emi- 
.'  grated  to  these  new  hunting-grounds,  and  spread  their 
1  towns  along  the  Hudson,  Susquehanna,  Potomac,  and 
JDeltyvare.      Around    the    latter    riyer    they_..clustere(l 


I/- 


none  of 
llcgluuiy 
10   AVest 

1  of  this 
followed 
ui^h  vieli 
le  broad 
of  silver 
plunged 

)re,  and, 
3tood  on 
lajesty  to 
der  they 
ide,  like 

2  found ; 
faled  tliC 

rom  the 

pan  Sea. 

moke  of 

ir-whoop 

and  the 

startled 

his  den, 

fastened 
ted  their 
ely  emi- 
ad  their 
lac,  and 
luatei'fid 


DAVID  ZEISBERGEE. 


[ 


35 


^■'/> 


1  -'' 


thic-kly.     It  was  yle_Lcnapewihiittuelv,/^l^c_^ 
Lonape." 

But  not  all  the  Lenape  left  the  western  country;  nor""! 
had  all  of  them  crossed  the  Misnissippi  at  the  time  of  the; 
original  emigration.     Hence,  in  this  period  of  its  his^J 
tory,  the  nation  consisted  of  three  bodies.     The  one  still . 
resided  beyond,  thejithcron  this  side  of  the  Mississippi; 
and  the  largest  division  occupied  the  territory  stretching 
from  the  four  great  eastern  rivers  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean. 
AjyLtli.(iae. changes  took  place  long  beforoj^urop^eans  had; 
settled  on  the  continent. 

The  Atlantic  Lenape  were  divided  into  three  jtribes. 
Most  distinguished  among  them  were  the  Unamis  or  |.j_'/ 
TWtloJribe,  who,  with  the  Uaiah'i^htgQ?  or_Turl£Oj/^tribe,  ■,'[:'.(. -s^Xi 
lived  nearest  to  the  sea-board,  from  the  coast  to  the  i  /. 
mountains  of  Eastern  New  York,  and  from  the  upper  i 
waters  of  th'^  Hudson  to  the  region  beyond  the  Potomac.  1 
The  third  tribe  w\as  the  Wolf,  called  Minsi  or  Monseys.  ' 
They  dwelt  from  the  Hudson  to  the  north  heads  of  the 
Delaware  and  Susquehanna,  and  southward  to  the  Le- 
high Hills  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  Musconetcong  of 
New  Jersey.    From  these  three  trioes  descended,  in  the'\ 
oourse  of  time,  many  others  known  by  various  names, ) 
living  in  ditibrcnt  parts  of  the  continent,  and  forming! 
the  great  Algonquin   stock  of  Indians.     Thus  far  the 
Delaware  traditions. 

Whether  there  is  any  historic  basis  for  them  other 
than  the  undisputed  fact  that  the  Algonquin  tribes,  as 
we  have  saj.c(^&n^rfi£ogiiizejl.llie-Xi^m  as  their, 

"  £E£"il^]i£?'5;,"  cannot  at  this  day  be  determTnetl".     The  \ 


«i\ 


.L/ 


^y,^^    "fL      ^■^^^^•'>^/--    '■'-    /'^^.v^/w 


36 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


wide  diffusion  of  this  family,  however,  ia  established  be- 
yond 11  doubt.  It  was  scattered  from  the  rocky  wastes  of 
Labrador  to  the  pine  forests  of  I^orth  Carolina,  extend- 
ing through  more  than  twenty  degrees  of  latitude  along 
the  Atlantic  coast,  and  thence  eastward  to  the  Missis- 
sippi, over  tluit  vast  territory  which  now  embraces  fifteen 
teeming  commonwealths  of  the  United  States  and  three 
^provinces  of  British  America.  The  A^beuakis^JPQqupds, 
Pokauokets  or  "Wampanoags,  Narragansetts,  and  Mo- 
hicaus  of  Now  England;  the  Lenni-Lenape  of  Pennsyl- 
vania a»d  Xew  Jersey;  the^Susquehannocks  and  Nanti- 
cokes.  of  Maryland;  the  Powhattan  Confederacy  of  Vir- 
ginia ;  the  Shawanese,  Kaskaskias,  and  Illinois  west  of 
the  Ohio ;  the  Chippewas,  Ottawas,  Potawatomies,  and 
Miamis  of  the  Great  Lakes  and  the  wild  Northwest; 
together  Avith  others  whose  names  need  not  be  enu- 
merated, all  belonged  to  this  stock.  It  was  relatively 
80  populous  that  it  constituted,  as  has  been  computed, 
about  one-half  of  the  natives  east  of  the  Mississippi  and 
south  of  the  St.  Lawrence.* 

The  Aquanoschioni,  too,  had  a  traditionary  history, 
subsequent  to  the  conquest  of  the  Ailigevn,  preserved, 
in  part,  by  their  aged  men,  but,  in  part,  imputed  to  them 
by  the  Lenape. 

Alive  to  their  own  interests,  so  runs  the  story  of  the 
latter,  as  they  always  were,  they  no  sooner  perceived 
that  the  Lenape  had  discovered  new  hunting-grounds 
beyond  the  Alleghanies  than  they  also    moved  east- 

1  Bancroft,  iii.  243. 


■IJ- 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


87 


jhed  bc- 
astes  of 
extcntl- 
le  along 
Missis- 
9  fifteen 
id  three 
*Qquod8, 
ind  Mo- 
Pennsyl- 
l1  Nanti- 
f  of  Vir- 
yvest  of 
lies,  and 
rth  west ; 
be  enu- 
elatively 
mputed, 
ippi  and 

history, 

■eserved, 

to  them 

y  of  the 
erceived 
grounds 
2d  east- 


ward.   Following  the  great  basin  of  the  lakes,  they  got 
to  the  shores  of  Ontario  and  the  rushing  waters  of  the 
St.  Lawrence.    There  they  established  thenaselves,  and  ^ 
again  became  the  neighbors  of  the  Lenape.    But  the ', 
harmony  which  had  subsisted  between  the  two  in  their 
western  homes  was  marred  in  this  new  country.     The  , 
AquanoBchioni,  moved  with  envy,  entangled  the  Lenape 
in  wars  with  their  own  allies ;  the  Lenape,  indignant  at 
such  duplicity,  turned  their  arms  against  the  Aquano- 
scbioni,  determined  to  extirpate  the  whole  perfidious  race,  j 
A  succession  of  wars  raged  for  more  than  a  century. 

The  fathers  of  the  Aquanoschioni,  without  acknowl- 
edging such  an  origin  of  the  conflict,  continue  the  tale. 

A  crisis  had  come  in  their  history.  They  were  unsup- 
ported by  allies,  and  divided  among  themselves;  whereas 
numerous  "grandchildren"  flocked  to  the  aid  of  the 
Lenape.  IIow  could  they  hope  for  victory  in  so  unequal 
a  struggle  ? 

Quickened  by  the  danger  which  threatened  the  very 
existence  of  his  people,  Thannawage,  a  wise  and  aged 
chief  of  the  Mohawks,  proposed  the  union  of  its  five  i 
nations  as  one  confederacy.  This  suggestion  met  with  i 
universal  favor,  and,  about  eighty  years  before  the  com-| 
ing  of  white  men,  the  league  was  organized  at  a  council,! 
in  which  the  Mohawks  were  represented  by  Toganawita,; 
the  Oneidas  by  Otatschechta,  the  Onondagas  by  Tato-j 
tarho,  the  Cayugas  by  Togahayou,  and  the  Senecas  by} 
Ganiatario  and  Satagaruges.* 


» The  above  tradition  is  preserved  in  a  German  MS.  work  upon  the  j 
Indians,  by  Chri^pher  Fyrlaeus,  a  Moravian  missionary.    It  is  the ' 


(\j'jii> 


N 


38 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


/ 


v 


,  Wo  turn  from  traditions  to  history.  To  the  Huron- 
/  Iroquois  family  of  Indians  belonged,  originally,  the 
•  Hurons,  or,  as  they  were  also  called,  Wyandots;  the 
,  Tionnontates,  or  Tobacco  Nation ;  the  Attiwandarons, 
)  or  Neutral  Nation ;  the  Eries  and  Andastes ;  together 
I  with  the  Five  Nations  of  the  Mohawks,  Oneidas,  Onon- 
\  dagas,  Cayugas,  and  Senecas.  These  tribes  all  spoke 
I  dialects  .of  the  generic  tongue  of  the  Iroqupis,  and  pos- 
i  sessed  that  section  of  Canada  which  is  inclosed  by  Lakes 
\  Huron,  Erie,  and  Ontario,  as  also  New  York  and  a  part 
j  of  Pennsylvaria.  The_Hurons  ^yere  conquer^, Jy^  the 
;  Eive_^ja[tion8  in  1649;  the  other  tribes  succumbed  to 
!  the  same  domination,  so  that  in  the  course  of  time 
j  the  Iroquois  proper  were  the  sole  but  puissant  represen- 
I  tatives  of  their  stock,  with  the  exception  of  some  insig- 
i  nificant  remnants. 

The  supremacy  which  they  thus  gained  was  owing,  as 

their  traditions  correctly  set  forth,  to  the  league  that 

bound  them  together.    It  existed  at  the  discovery  of  the 

continent.    To  determine  anything  further  touching  the 

time  when  it  was  formed,  or  the  circumstances  under 

which  it  grew  into  being,  is  impossible.    But  its  advan- 

/tages  are  evident.     The  Algonquins  knew  noihing;  oj^ 

(lefilHl^J  ^'^y.6i'°'??^.?5t'    They  had  no  system  of  polity, 

/there  was  no  unity  '^^  action  among  them.     The  affairs 

property  of  the  Bethlehem  Archives,  but  deposited  in  the  library  of  the 
American  Philosophical  Society,  at  Philadelphia.  He  has  recorded  the 
,  tradiiion  as  he  found  it,  without  meaning  to  imply  that  it  is  anything 
,  more  than  a  tradition.  He  says,  moreover,  that  the  names  of  the  chiefs 
'  who  pro))OBed  and  organized  the  league  were  perpetuated  by  calling, 
\  from  time  to  time,  a  person  in  each  nation  after  them. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


39 


even  of  a  single  tribe  were  managed  in  the  loosest 
manner.    Over  the  Iroquois,  on  the  contrary,  was  set  a ; 
Grand  Council  of  fifty  sachems,  in  which  each  tribe  en- : 
joyed  equal  rights.     Several  inferior  councils,  moreover, 
brought  the  idea  of  a  government,  practically,  to   all 
classes,  to  every  age,  and  even  to  both  sexes,  giving  them 
a  personal  interest,  and,  to  some  degree,  a  share  in  the 
same.     Hence  councils  regulated  tribal  life  in  all  par-y 
ticulars;  while  matters  of  national  importance,  in  war/ 
and  peace,  were  adjusted  by  the  Grand  Council.     Thus 
they  became  both  a  political  and  a  military  power  araor.g 
the  aborigines.    The  influence  of  their  league  was  folt 
everywhere,  and  their  conquests  extended  in  every  direc- 
tion.    Sometimes  they  overawed  the  Algonquins  by  em-i 
bassies;  again,  they  sent  war-parties  into  their  territory^ 
for  hundreds  of  miles,  and  filled  the  whole  wilderness[ 
with  the  terror  of  the  Iroquois  name. 

Such  are  the  traditions  and  the  history  of  the  Indians 
up  to  the  time  when  the  first  settlements  of  the  white 
man  were  begun  on  the  North  American  continent. 

But  the  aborigines  had  been  known  to  Europeans  for 
n;  ore  than  a  century  before  this.  As  early  as  1497 — only 
five  jears  after  Christopher  Columbus  had  landed  in  the 
New  World — John  Cabot  and  his  son  Sebastian,  sailing 
under  a  commission  from  Henry  VII.  of  England,  dis- 
covered the  North  American  continent,  in  the  latitude 
of  the  Arctic  regions.  In  1498,  Sebastian  Cabot  visited 
the  main-land  again ;  and,  turning  to  the  south,  where 
the  cliflfs  of  Labrador  lift  their  hoary  heads,  rounded 
Newfoundland  and  Nova  Scotia,  and,  coasting  along 


iO 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OP 


New  England,  saw  the  country  where  American  liberty 
should  be  born.  Passing  Long  Island,  he  looked  upon 
the  shore  of  New  Jersey,  where  summer  tourists  now 
mingle  in  the  gay  scenes  of  fashionable  watering-places, 
and  the  Absecom  fisherman  iilh  his  boat  with  luscious 
oysters ;  and,  running  up,  first  a  part  of  Delaware  Bay, 
and  then  of  Chesapeake  Bay,  came,  at  last,  into  the 
latitude  of  Albemarle  Sound.  It  was  a  bold  voyage ; 
an  era  long  to  be  remembered  by  the  natives.  Not 
many  years  after,  the  Spaniards  visited  the  savannas  of 
Florida  and  the  inlets  of  South  Carolina.  In  1624,  an 
Italian  adventurer,  John  de  Verrazzani,  in  the  service 
of  France,  sailed  north,  and,  anchoring  in  New  York 
Bay,  beheld  the  chiefs  of  the  Mohicans,  decked  with 
their  eagles'  plumes,  standing  on  the  shore  to  bid  him 
swelcorae;  and  stopped  for  two  weel-  <  h\  the  harbor  of 
|Newport,  where  the  red  men  were  b  •  ^lendly  that  he 
described  them  as  "the  goodliest  people'  V  ,  had  met  on 
his  whole  voyage ;  and,  finally,  approached  the  latitude 
of  fifty  degrees.  Ten  years  later  (1584),  Cartier  sailed 
up  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  and  reached  the  homes  of 
the  Iroquois.  But  all  these  voyages  were  mere  explora- 
tions, and  resulted  in  no  colonie? 

Nor  did  the  brilliant  discoveries  of  Ferdinand  d^Sotp, 
in  1538  and  the  subsequent  years,  eventuate  in  any  per- 
manent settlements.  With  a  proud  array  of  mail-clad 
warriors,  with  flying  banners,  sounding  trumpets,  and 
prancing  steeds,  he  began  his  march  through  Florida ; 
and,  in  spite  of  fearful  hardships  and  constant  hostilities 
with  the  Cherokees,  the  Mobilian  Confederacies,  and 


DAVID  ZEISBERQER. 


41 


n  liberty 
ced  upon 
•ista  now 
ig-place8, 

luscious 
'are  Bay, 
into  the 

voyage ; 
es.  Not 
annas  of 

1624,  an 
e  service 
3w  York 
jed  with 

bid  him 
larbor  of 

that  he 
I  met  on 

latitude 
ier  sailed 
lomes  of 

explora- 

Id^Soto, 
.  any  per- 
mail-clad 
)ets,  and 
Florida ; 
lostilities 
pies,  and 


1 


the  Natchez,  traversed  Georgia,  parts  of  South  Carolina, 
Alabama,  and  Mississippi,  until  he  stood  on  a  lofty  blutf 
and  beheld  the  Father  of  American  rivers  bearing  his 
uuequaled  tribute  of  waters  to  the  ocean ;  nor  stopped 
there,  but,  crossing  to  the  ^:^e^tern  bank,  pressed  through 
Missouri  and  Arkansas,  and,  at  last,  worn  out  in  body 
and  in  mind,  died  amid  the  wilderness,  and  found  his 
grave  in  the  great  stream  which  he  had  discovered. 
His  followers,  after  incredible  toils,  reached  the  Gulf  in 
brigantines,  and  finally  escaped  to  the  Panuco  River  of 
Mexico,  without  having  gained  a  foothold  in  any  part 
of  the  regions  which  they  had  traversed. 

Twenty-two  years  later,  Mfilgndez,  another  Spaniard, 
whose  atrocious  massacre  of  the  Huguenot  colony  on 
the  St.  John's  River  has  made  his  name  notorious, 
founded  the  town  of  St.  Augustine,  the  oldest  settle- 
53£SliB^^i£^iL4535li<ia ;  but  after  the  inroad  of  Dom- 
inic de  Gourges,  who  avenged  the  blood  of  his  brethren, 
it  languished,  and  did  not  become  a  center  of  power.     "* 

The  expeditions  which  Sir  "Walter  Raleigh  sent  to  the 
coast  of  North  Carolina  seemed  to  promise  more  abid- 
ing results.     The^colonj^on^th^^Jal^^^^^  X. 
IkeOi^e^t^e  first  cgnygrt^^^f^                           in  they/ 
person  of  Manteo,  who  was  baptized  by  command  of  \  ^-^'X^'  ^ 
Raleigh,  and  receivedJhg,.titJe_.of ."  Lord  p^^^                     {/ft.'.',^'^ 
But  when  its  governor,  John  White,  returned,  in  1590,  - 
from  England,  with  supplies,  the  island  was  a  desert,  the 
settlers  had  disappeared,  and  were  never  heard  of  more. 
Thus  the  continent,  with  the  exception  of  St.  Augustine, 
again  lay  abandoned  to  its  aboriginal  inhabitants. 


vw 


42 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


m 


/ 


/ 


/ 


The  year  1607  marks  a  new  era.  Then  the  foot  of 
the  European  race  was  firmly  planted  upon  this  western 
buttress  of  the  world,  and  never  again  removed.  Under 
jthe  auspices  of  the  "London  Company,"  Jamestown 
]was  founded  in  Virginia,  amid  the  Powhattan  Con- 
federacy. In  spite  of  hardships  and  dangers,  the 
colony  increased,  and  triumphantly  outlived  the  bloody 
massacre  of  1622.  This  settlement  was  followed,  in 
1608,  by  the  permanent  abode  of  French  immigrants, 

under    Samuel    Champlain,. .jja Canada,    among    the 

Iroquois.     Five  years  later  (1613),  the  Dutch   estab- 
ished  themselves  at  the  mouth  of  the  Hudson  River, 
in   the   territory  of  the^Mphicans ;    and,   seven  years 
fter  that  (1620),  the  Mayflower  cast  anchor  in  the 
harbor  of  Cape  Cod,  and  the  Pilgrims  landed  at  Ply- 
mouth to  lay  the  foundation  for  the  present  greatness 
of  New  England. 
Thus  there  began,  on  our  continent,  that  struggle 
ft ,/  /between  civilization  and  barbarism  which  is  now  nearly 
at  an  end,  leading  to  the  extermination  of  the  abo- 
rigines as  its  inevitable  issue.    Either  they  must  grasp 
the  band  of  the  Old  World,   and  suffer   themselves 
to  be  led  in  its  ways,  or  they  must  be  crushed  under 
^ts  heel. 

i  The  Delawares  preserved  among  themselves  a  tradi- 
'  tion  that  the  coming  of  the  white  man  had  been  fore- 
told by  aged  Indians  of  the  Algonquin  stock.  These 
prophets  are  said  to  have  affirmed  that  the  Great  Spirit 
I  would  send  to  their  shores  a  race  of  men  different  from 
'their  own,  and  superior  to  it  in  power. 


}  foot  of 
i  western 
.  Under 
mestown 
aa  Con- 
fers, the 
e  bloody 
5wed,  in 
nigrants, 
311^  the 
h  estab- 
n  River, 
3n  years 
'  in  the 
.  at  Ply- 
jreatness 


^ 


...^ 


DAVID  ZEISBERQEB. 


43 


The  Indian  of  that  period  lived  in  his  original 
simplicity.  He  was  a  hunter  and  a  warrior.  In  time 
of  peace  he  pursued  the  game  of  his  primeval  forests, 
or  speared  the  fish  with  which  the  rivers  teemed.  But 
when  the  honor  of  his  tribe  was  to  be  upheld  he  sang 
the  war-song,  and  went  with  his  fellow-braves  to  the 
battle,  fighting  cautiously  from  a  covert,  or,  boldly  and 
fiercely,  man  with  man.  His  arms  were  of  the  crudest 
kind.  He  wielded  the  war-club ;  hurled,  with  unerring 
aim,  his  tomahawk  of  stone ;  and  sent  his  arrows, 
barbed  with  sharp  flint-heads,  deep  into  the  breast  of 
his  foe.  Nor  had  he  other  weapons  when  he  stalked 
the  deer  or  tracked  the  bear, — when  he  shot  the  wild- 
turkey  or  chased  the  raccoon.  His  household  imple- 
ments were  equally  simple.  To  hoe  the  corn-plant, 
beans,  and  pumpkins,  which  were  the  only  staples,  his 
women  used  hoes  made  of  the  shoulder-bones  of  the 
deer  or  the  shell  of  a  turtle,  with  long  handles  of  wood ; 
to  cook  his  food,  they  took  pots  of  clay  mixed  with 
pounded  shells.  He  cut  fuel  in  the  forest  w^ith  a  heavy 
axe  of  stone,  unwieldy,  and  slow  to  perform  its  work ; 
or  kindled  a  fire  either  with  tinder  made  of  a  desiccated 
fungus  or  by  rubbing  together  two  pieces  of  dry  wood, 
and  brought  down  a  tree  by  burning  off  its  trunk.  The 
skins  of  animals  served  him  for  clothing;  his  women 
wore  petticoats  of  wild  flax;  and  the  blanket,  that 
indispensable  article  of  forest-comfort,  was  curiously 
manufactured  of  the  feathers  of  the  turkey.  For) 
wampum^-::::W^^^  used  in  such  manifold  ways,  which( 

formed Jhii.curre^Qcyjind^  his  letters  of  friend-J 


•f 


/ 


A 


Z' 


/ 


4i 


„.^... --  ^ 

•^         LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


,  ship,  his  manifestoes  of  war  and  seals  of  peace  —he 

strung  together  bits  of  wood  of  various  colors.     By 
1  way  of  exception  only  it  was  made  of  sea-shells,  and 

this  latter  kind  he  deemed  precious  as  gold. 

The  moral  character  of  the  Indian,  prior  to  his  con- 
jtactjvith_the  white ^^m^     has  been  variously  estimated. 

It  presented,  without  doubt,  difterent  traits  in  different 
j  tribes.     That  it  was  more  elevated  than,  in  la,ter  times 

seems  very  probable.  Zeisberger  often  met,  especially 
Jj  among  the  Algonquins,  aged  men  who  mourned  over 
jthe  degeneracy  they  had  lived  to  see ;  and  he  believed 
\  former  generations  to  have  been,  at  least  relatively,  far 
Ibetter  than  those  natives  among  whom  he  spent  his  life. 
lOn  the  other  hand,  the  Jesuit  missionaries  found  licen- 
itiousness  prevailing,  both  among  the  Hurona  and  Iro- 
I  quois,  to  a  fearful  extent,  although  some  of  these  chroni- 
|clers  likewise  speak  of  this  as  a  decline  from  the 
imanners  of  an  earlier  age.  In  general,  it  may  be  said 
[that  the  primitive  Indians  were  distinguished  by  hospi- 

i 

jtality,  kindness  to  the  poor  and   the  distressed,  and 

bourtesy  in  their  social  intercourse ;  that  some  of  their 

jtribes  deemed  chastity  in  women  a  virtue,  kept  from 

■'stealing,  and  discountenanced  lying,  but  among  others 

I  the  female  sex  was  shamelessly  dissolute,  and  honesty 

j  and  truth  were  the  rare  exceptions ;  while  pride,  vin- 

I  dictiveness,  cruelty,  in  forms  which  might  be  called 

'  devilish,  were  the  vices  common  to  the  race.    Canni- 

/  balism  was  of  frequent  occurrence,  in  times  of  war, 

I  among  the  Iroquois,  Hurons,  and  some  other  tribes. 

I  It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  the  Indians  even  in  this  re- 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


46 


)eace  —he 
lors.  By 
hells,  and 

0  his  con- 
estimated. 

1  different 
ater  times 
especially 
rned  over 
e  believed 
itively,  far 
nt  his  life, 
and  licen- 
j  and  Iro- 
jse  chroni- 

from  the 
ly  be  said 
by  hospi. 
ssed,  and 
e  of  their 
cept  from 
ng  others 
i  hoDesty 
3ride,  vin- 
be  called 
I.  Ganui- 
\  of  war, 
ler  tribes, 
in  thia  re- 


mote period,  does  not  deserve,  from  any  point  of  view,^ 
that  exalted  character  which  is  popularly  ascribed  to  him.  j 

After  the  Dutch  had  settled  in  ISTew  York,  and  the  ( 
French  in  Canada,  the  Iroquois  became  the  friends  of 
thp  former,  and  the  enemies  of  the  latter.    Against  these 
they  often  warred.     At  the  same  time,  their  protracted 
struggle  with  the  Lenape  was  not  yet  over.     To  this  ' 
period  of  their  history  relates  that  singular  Delaware  ' 
tradition  with  which  the  missionaries  met. 

The  Iroquois,  so  the  story  begins,  finding  the  contest 
in  which  they  were  engaged  too  great  for  them,  as  they 
had  to  cope,  on  the  one  hand,  with  European  arms,  and, 
on  the  other,  with  native  prowess,  excogitated  a  master- 
stroke of  intrigue.  They  sent  an  embassy  to  the  Lenui- 
Lenape,  with  a  message  in  substance  as  follows :  That 
it  was  not  well  for  the  Indians  to  be  fighting  among 
themselves,  at  a  time  when  the  whites,  in  ever-larger 
numbers,  were  pressing  into  their  country;  that  the 
original  possessors  of  the  soil  must  be  preserved  from 
total  extirpation  ;  that  the  only  way  to  effect  this  was  a 
voluntary  assuming,  on  the  part  of  some  magnanimous 
nation,  of  the  position  of  "the  woman,"  or  umpire  ;  that 
a  weak  people  in  such  a  position  would  have  no  influ- 
ence, but  a  power  like  the  Lenni-Lenape,  celebrated  for 
its  bravery  and  above  all  suspicion  of  pusillanimity, 
might  properly  take  the  step;  that,  therefore,  the  Aqua- 
noschioni  besought  them  to  lay  aside  their  arms,  devote 
themselves  to  pacific  employments,  and  act  as  mediators 
among  the  tribes,  thus  putting  a  stop  forever  to  the 
fratricidal  wars  of  the  Indians. 


>  ^Hj 


•    ii' 


'.'  ■' i.>f.. 


^^..^'IW'''- 


46 


L/FJSJ  AND    TIMES  OF 


To  this  proposition  the  Lenapc  cheorfally  and  trust- 
ingly consented ;  for  they  believed  it  to  be  dictated  by 
exalted  patriotism,  and  to  constitute  the  language  of 
genuine   sincerity.     They  were,  moreover,  themselves 
very  anxious  to  preserve  the  Indian  race.     At  a  great 
/feast,  prepared  for  the  representatives  of  the  two  nations, 
■and    amid    many   ceremonies,   they   were    accordingly 
(made  women,  and  a  broad  belt  of  peace  was  intrusted  to 
'their  keeping. 

The  Dutch,  eo  the  tradition  continues,  were  present 
on  this  occasion,  and  had  instigated  the  plot.  That  it 
was  p  plot  to  break  the  strength  of  the  Lenapo  soon  be- 
came evident.  They  woke  up  from  their  magnanii^ous 
dream,  to  find  themselves  in  the  power  of  the  Iroquois, 
From  that  time  they  were  the  "cousins"  of  the  Iroquois, 
and  these  their  "uncles," 

This  tradition  is  as  ingenious  and  unique  as  it  is  fabu- 
lous and  absurd.  It  was  devised  by  the  Delawares  to 
conceal  the  fact  that  they  had  been  conquered.  And 
yet  history  recognizes,  and  will  ever  know  them,  as  the 
vassals  of  the  Iroquois,  who  exercised  authority'  over 
them,  stationed  an  agent  in  their  country,  and  would 
not  permit  their  lands  to  be  alienated  without  the  con- 
sent of  the  Confederate  Council.  The  story  of  the  Dela- 
wares contradicts  itself.  Suspicious  as  Indians  arc,  to 
the  present  day,  this  nation  could  not  have  been  so  com- 
pletely duped  ;  and  brave  as  it  was,  it  would  never  have 
submitted  to  such  a  degradation.  The  whole  character 
of  the  aborigines  renders  the  thing  impossible.  In  the 
figurative  language  of  the  natives,  the  Delawares  un- 


&^ 


-■t 


■i.^ 


DAVID   ZEISDEROER. 


47 


nd  trust- 
•tatcd  by 
^nage  of 
lenisclvos 
t  a  threat 
)  nations, 
cjordingly 
;rusted  to 


e  present 

That  it 

!  soon  be- 

nanir^ous 

Iroquois. 

Iroquois, 

it  is  fabu- 

iwares  to 
d.  And 
ni,  as  the 
rity  over 
id  would 
the  con- 
the  Dcla- 
is  are,  to 

n  so  com- 

ver  have 

character 

In  the 

Is-ares  un- 


questionably were  "women,"  but  they  had  been  reduced 
to  this  state  by  force  of  arms.' 

The  number  of  the  Indians,  in  the  first  era  of  the  , 
white  man,  more  than  two  hundred  years  ago,  cannot  be 
determined   with  any  degree  of  accuracy.     They  were 
more  numerous  than  in  Zeisberger's  times,  yet  not  to 
be  compared  with  the  populous  nations  found  by  the 
Spaniards  in  Mexico  and  Peru.     The  harmonious  testi- 
mony of  the  French  and  English  proves  that,  about 
IGGO,  the  Iroquois,  redoubtable  conquerors    liough  they 
were,  had   but  twojtheusand   two   hundred  warriors.*,^ 
This  gives  a  basis  of  computation  which  must  lead  to 
surprising  results.     It  has  been  estimated  that  all  the^ 
tribes  together,  east  of  the  Mississippi  and  south  of  the  / 
St.  Lawrence,  numbered  but  one  hundred  and  eighty^' 
thousand  souls.'     Wide  tracts  of  that  territory  were, 
consequently,  uninhabited.     The  explorer  could  travel 
for  hundreds  of  miles  without  meeting  a  single  human 
being.     Between  the  scattered  tribes  lay  great  solitudes. 


•  Hockewelder  {IIisto2'i/  of  tjie  j2idia.n.^7^tio7is,  Introduction  and  chap, 
i.)  arguos  in  favor  of  this  story.  Zuisbcrgcr  J^il/^  Ilistorj^^jift/ie  In;- 
dinnti)  and  Loskjel  {Ilistori/  oj  the  Indian  Mitssion,  V2o  and  V2(j)  both 
mention  it,  but  merely  ns  a  tradition.  It  is  a  matter  of  furpriso  that 
the  author  of  the  "History  of  the  Conspiracy  of  Pontine,"  page  27, 
asserts  tliat  Bishop  Losliiel  records  the  story  "with  tlio  utmost  good 
faith."  Loskiel  introduces  it  into  his  work  as  an  interesting  tradition, 
and  says  not  one  word  in  its  lavor.  As  well  might  the  brothers  Grimm 
be  accused  of  believing  the  national  fables  of  Germany,  because  they 
collected  and  published  them. 

*  IM!iL''iL*'|t^_iLi''t:..Uv.§/aJii/,24i^^  ParkrB.anls..,Jjc^iits  _of_  North 
Aia.jriua,  Introduction,  p.  OG. 

■'  Bancroft's  Hist.  U.  S.,  iii.  2-53.  The  following  is  his  estimate:  Al- 
gonquin tribes,  80,000;  Eastern  Siou.x,  less  than  3000;  Iroquois,  about 
17,000;  Catawbas,  3000;  Cherokees,  12,000;  Mobilian  Confederacy, 
50,000;  lichees,  1000;  Natchez,  4000. 


"■»«,. 


\ 


If  II 


48 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER  III. 


i 


NEW  YORK  AND  PENNSYLVANIA  ABOUT  THE  YEAR  1745.- 
SETTLEMENTS  AND  INDIAN  TRIBES. 


■THEIR 


III  I'  ■ 


il    II 


If  II 


m\ 


New  York  City. — The  Counties  of  the  Province. — Its  trade,  govern- 
ment, unci  religious  spirit. — The  Indians  of  New  York. — Clans  of  Mo- 
hicans.— The  Iroquois  and  their  territory. — Relations  to  the  English. 
— Population. — Pennsylvania. — Its  liberal  institutions  and  religious 
freedom. — Philadelphia. — The  Counties  of  the  Province  and  its  gov- 
ernment.— The  Indians  of  Pennsylvania. — Dela wares,  Shawanese,  and 
Nanticokcs. — The  West. — Its  Indian  tribes  and  French  posts. — A 
struggle  for  supremacy  between  England  and  Franco  approaching. 

Having  given  an  account  of  the  Indians  in  general, 
and  of  the  Delawares  and  Iroquois  in  particular,  among 
whom  Zeisberger  labored,  we  will  now  present  a  picture 
of  the  country  which  he  traversed  with  the  feet  of  a  mes- 
senger of  peace,  as  it  appeared  at  the  time  when  he 
began  his  mission. 

New  York  was  not  then  the  Empire  State.  In  the 
eighty-one  years  of  British  sovereignty,  since  the  inglo- 
rious end  of  New  Netherlands,  its  population  and  re- 
sources had  indeed  increased,  yet  not  in  proportion  to 
the  developments  expanding  some  of  its  sister  colonies. 
But  ten  counties  were  under  cultivation,  scarcely  a  third 
part  of  its  area  and  one-sixth  of  the  present  number.* 


'  The  principal  sources  for  the  sketch  of  New  York  are :  The  Docu- 
mentary Hist,  of  N.  Y.,in  4  vols.,  published  by  the  Legislature;  and 
History  of  the  late  Province  of  N.  Y.,  from  its  Discovery  to  the  Appoint- 


VA\\:\ 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


49 


745.— THEIR 


ade,  govern- 
■Clans  of  Mo- 
1  the  English, 
[ind  religious 
;  and  its  gov- 
lawanese,  and 
eh  posts. — A 
proaching. 

n  general, 
ar,  among 
t  a  picture 
t  of  a  mes- 
)  when  he 

e.  In  the 
the  inglo- 
in  and  re- 
portion  to 
r  colonies, 
ely  a  third 
uniber.^ 

The  Docu- 
slature ;  and 
the  Appoint- 


First  among  them,  embracing  the  island  of  Manhat- 
tan, was  the  County  of  New  York,  with  the  capital  of 
the  Province,  and  the  seat  of  the  Colonial  government  at 
its  southern  extremity.  This  city— the  New  Amster- 
dam of  the  Dutch— had  existed  eighty-nine  years,  and 
although,  with  its  eleven  thousand  seven  hundred  and 
seventeen  inhabitants,'  it  formed  a  place  of  no  mean  pre- 
tensions, yet  it  also  exhibited  an  almost  ludicrous  con- 
trast with  the  metropolitan  magnificence  which  now 
makes  it  the  rival  of  Paris  and  London,  and  one  of  the 
emporiums  of  the  world. 

Its  streets  were  irregular,  and  paved  v/ith  what  Smith 
calls  round  pebbles;  its  houses,  mostly  of  brick,  covered 
with  tiles ;  a  City  Hall,  an  Exchange,  and  Almshouse, 
formed  its  public  edifices;  and,  ten  years  subsequent 
to  1745,  it  had  but  eleven  places  of  worship.^  Of  the 
three  public  buildings,  the  most  remarkable  was  City 
Hall.     It  was  a  strong,  brick  structure,  in  the  shape  of 


mont  of  Gov.  Colden,  in  1762,  by  Hon.  William  Smith,  late  Chief  Jus- 
tice of  Lower  Canada. 

•  A  census,  including  the  county,  was  taken  June  4,  1746.  Docu- 
meniary  Hist.  N.  F.,  i.  605. 

"^  Smith  wrote  the  first  volume  of  his  history  in  175G,  and  gives  the 
following  churches  as  existing  at  that  time :  Two  Episcopal  chapels, 
Trinity  and  St.  George's,  the  former  founded  in  1696,  the  latter  in 
1752 ;  two  Reformed  Dutch  churches ;  two  German  Lutheran ;  one 
Moravian  ;  one  Presbyterian  ;  one  French  Protestant ;  a  Quaker  Meet- 
ing-house ;  and  a  Jewish  synagogue.  The  Moravian  Church  was 
organized  by  Count  Zinzendorf,  in  1743.  The  first  church  edifice  was 
built  on  FuHon  Street,  in  1752.  Smith's  brief  account  of  this  church 
is  interesting.  He  says  (p.  261),  "The  Moravians,  a  now  sect  among 
us,  a  church  consisting  principally  of  female  proselytes  from  other 
societies." 


.\M\ 


I 


60 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OP 


■■§ 


fm 


an  oblong,  two  stories  high,  had  an  open  walk,  two 
jails  and  the  apartments  of  the  jailer  on  the  lirst  floor, 
and  the  rooms  where  the  Council  and  Supreme  Court 
met  on  the  second;  the  cellar  was  a  dungeon,  and  the 
;^arret  a  common  prison. 

Now  York,  in  accordance  with  a  charter  granted  in 
1730,  was  divided  into  se-  ware  ,  and  governed  by 
a  Mayor,  whom  the  Gov*.  .  appointed  each  year,  a 
Recorder,  seven  Aldermen,  and  as  many  Councilmeu. 
Four  Aldermen  and  four  Councilmen,  together  with 
either  the  Mayor  or  Recorder,  made  up  the  Common 
Council. 

The  city  could  not  deny  its  Dutch  origin.  The 
language  of  Holland  still  prevailed,  to  a  considerable 
extent,  and  corrupted  the  English  which  was  spoken; 
while  life,  both  at  home  and  in  society,  was  marked  by 
many  Dutch  customs. 

In  the  northeastern  part  of  the  county  lay  the  village 
of  Harlem,  surrounded  by  vegetable  gardens,  which 
were  cultivated  for  the  markets  of  the  city.  Like  that 
whole  region,  it  was  inhabited,  principally,  by  Dutch 
farmers. 

The_two  islands,  which  the  Creator  has  constituted 
arms  to  guard  New  York  —  to  hold  back  the  waters  of 
its  noble  bay,  and  permit  great  ships,  coming  from  all 
the  ends  of  the  earth,  to  anchor  only  after  having  passed 
within  their  reach  — were  well  populated,  and  formed 
regular  counties  of  the  Province.  But_Staten_„l8JLand, 
or  Richmond  County,  was  not  the  resort  it  now  is.  No 
summer-villas  beautified  it,  rivaling  those  of  Italy ;  no 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


61 


alk,  two 
rst  floor, 
[le  Court 
,  and  tlie 

anted  in 
3rned  by 
I  year,  a 
mcilmen. 
her  with 
Commou 

in.  The 
isiderable 
I  spoken; 
larked  by 


le  village 


busy  ferries  brought  jaded  merchants  to  its  refreshing 
shore.     It  presented  a  wild  appearance,  and  Richmond- 
town,  the  only  village,  was  a  very  poor  place.     I^ong 
{^ind,  on  the  contrary,  with  its  three  counties.  King's, 
Queen's,  and  Suftblk,  and  its  numerous  villages,  formed 
one  of  the  most  fl  )iirishing  parts  of  the  Colony.     Its 
soil  was  fertile,  supi»orting  a  population  of  twenty-one 
thousand  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  persons.     Many 
of  the  formers  were  graziers,  and  carried  their  products 
to  Boston  and  Rhode  Island.      In  the  eastern  section 
lived    a    remnant   of  Indians,    in    that    state   of   semi- ! 
civilization  which  tends  to  debase  rather  than  elevate] 
;     the  character  of  the  aborigines. 
mk        On    the    east   side    of  the    Hudson    River    lay   the 
Counties  of  Westchester   and   Dutchess.     The   former 
was  rich  in  rough  but  productive  land,  and,  among  its 
towns,    had    an    incorporated    borough,    Westchester, 
which  enjoyed  the  right  of  representation  in  the  As- 
sembly.     The  villages  of  Dutchess  County  were  few 
and  small.     In  Zeisberger's  history,  Poughkeepsie  and) 
Rhinebeck    occur.      This    county,    however,    was    thetj 
abode  of  mixed  clans  of  the  once  powerful  Mohican  ] 
and  Wampanoag  nations.     The  valley  of  Shekoracko,  ) 
around  the  foot  of  the  Stissinor  Mountain,  aftbrded  them  ^ 
a  lovely  retreat ;   and  here  the  Moravian  Church  had  I 
established  a  flourishing  Mission. 

Skirting  the  west  bank  of  the  Hudson  were  Orange 
and  Ulster  Counties,  inhabited  by  English,  Scotch, 
Irish,  and  Dutch  settlers.  Tappan  or  Orangetown,  and 
Goshen,  ah'eady  famed  for  its  butter,  were  the  prin- 


>'v  •■ 


,/-■ 


'imi 


.<  > 


I  li! 


52 


LIFE  AND   TlJUrjS  OP 


•imm 


f 


cipal  places  in  the  one ;  ciiid  Esopus  or  Kingston, 
Huile}^,  Rochester,  and  New  Paltz  in  the  other.  Esopus 
had  a  court-house,  formed  a  town  of  some  distinction, 
and  was  a  favorite  resort  of  Moravian  missionaries. 
On  Catskill  Creek,  now  Greene.  County,  stood  a  small 
frontier  settlement  calbd  Freehold. 

The  horder  county  was  Albany,  whose  undefined  limits 

were  lost  in  the  wilderness.     On  the  site  of  Fort  Orange, 

a  primitive  Dutch  post,  had  arisen  an  incorporated  city, 

now  tlie  capital  of  the  State.     It  was  built  in  the  Dutch 

style,  governed  by  a  Mayor  and  Common  Council,  and 

growing  in  importance.     At  Albany  not  only  treaties  of 

/»reat  xnoment  were  concluded  with  the  Six  Nations,  but 

jthe  Colonies  learned  some  of  the  rudiments  of  that  politi- 

Wl  philosophy  which  produced  American  independence. 

/Scarcely  less  noted  was  Schenectady,  on  the  Mohawk 

\  River,  in  a  rich  flat  surrounded  by  hills.     A  very  old 

i 

I  town,  dating  almost  from  the  times  of  the  first  colonists, 
I  and  near  the  Indian  country,  it  had,  by  common  consent, 
ibeen  made  the  general  rendezvous  for  Iroquois,  and  for 
traders  coming  to  barter,  or  preparing  to  pursue  their 
traffic  at  more  distant  posts.  To  the  west  of  it,  on  both 
sides  of  the  Mohawk,  lay  the  settlements  of  the  Pala- 
tines, who  had  immigrated  to  New  York  by  invitation  of 
Queen  Anne.  About  1723,  many  of  them  had  removed 
to  Pennsylvania,  but  the  tract  had  remained  a  German 
neighborhood,  and  its  villages,  looking  out  from  the 
midst  of  wheat-fields  and  pea-patches,  spread  life  and 
industry  as  far  as  the  Schoharie  Creek.  Beyond  this, 
isolated  farms,  reaching  to  th     Mohawk  territory,  con- 


iHii 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


58 


Kingston, 
.  Esopus 
istiuction, 
isionaries. 
d  a  small 

lied  limits 

I't  Orange, 

•atcd  city, 

:he  Dutcli 

uncil,  and 

treaties  of 

itions,  but 

hat  politi- 

pendence. 

Mohawk 

vcr}'  old 

colonists, 

n  consent, 

[s,  and  for 

rsue  their 

t,  on  both 

the  Pala- 

i^itation  of 

1  removed 

1  German 

from   the 

1  life  and 

yond  this, 

itory,  con- 


■:» 


stitnted  the  western  bounds  of  civilization.  To  the 
north,  land  had  been  reclaimed  as  far  as  Schaghticoke 
and  Saratoga,  where  a  fort  had  been  erected,  around 
which  clustered  a  few  rude  homesteads.  But  in  1745, 
an  attack  of  French  Indians  from  Crown  Point  obliged 
the  settlers  to  seek  a  safer  refuge.  From,Saratoga  to 
Camida.  rei^ujid  jhejspliJ^ude  and  ^laud^^^ 
wilderness. 

Exclusive  of  Albany  County,  the  population  of  New 
York  amounted  to  sixty-one  thousand  five  hundred  and 
eighty-nine  souls,  of  whom  ^fty-one  thousand  eight  hun- 
dred and  seventy-two  were  whites,  and  the  rest  negroes. 
Four  years  later  (1749),  it  had,  including  Albany  County, 
increased  to  seventy-three  thousand  four  hundred  and 
forty-eight.'  While,  therefore,  this  Province,  in  most 
respects,  was  not  the  first  among  the  American  Colonies, 
it  foreshadowed,  in  one  particular,  its  future  greatness  as 
a  commercial  power.  Productions  of  various  kinds,  and 
in  large  quantities,  were  exported  to  difterent  parts  of 
the  world. 

The  government  embraced  a  Governor,  appointed  by 
King's  commission;  a  Council,  numbering  twelve  mem- 
bers, designated  by  the  King's  mandamus  and  sign 
manual,  and  forming  advisers  of  the  Governor,  exercis- 
ing also  Iegi8lativ3  power  and  judicial  authority  upon 
writs  of  error  and  appeals;  and  a  General  Assembly  of 
twenty- seven  representatives,  elected  for  seven  years  by 
the  people. 


>  Doc.  Hist.  N.  Y.,  i.  695.     In  1746  no  census  could  be  taken   m 
Albany  County  on  account  of  the  war. 


54 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


New  York  did  not  afford  to  Christians  of  various  per- 
suasions the  same  quiet  retreat  which  they  found  in 
Pennsylvania.  Several  Governors  betrayed  a  desire  to 
render  the  Episcopal  Church  an  Establishment;  the 
Roman  Catholics  were  held  in  great  abhorrence ;  and 
the  Moravians  suffered  persecution.  That  the  expulsion 
of  their  ministers,  whose  faithful  labors  among  the  In- 
dians God  crowned  with  abundant  success,  was  owing  to 
the  jealousy  of  bigoted  religionists,  cannot  be  doubted. 
The  Presbyterians  and  the  Reformed  Dutch  were  the 
most  numerous  Christian  denominations ;  the  Epis- 
copalians comprised  but  a  small  minority.  Their 
clergy  were  missionaries  of  the  "  English  Society 
for  Propagating  the  Gospel,"  and  ordained  by  the 
Bishop  of  London,  who  had  a  commissary  in  the 
Province. 

The  aboriginal  lords  of  the  soil  still  maintained  their 

'position.    However  unimportant  the  scattered  clans  of 

Mohicans  and  Wampanoags,  the  Confederacy  of  the  Six 

I  Nations  was  a  power  on  the  continent.    From  the  limits 

\  of  Orange,  Ulster,  and  Albany  Counties  to  the  waters 

of   the    Lakes,   and    from    Canada    to    Pennsylvania, 

stretched  out  their   broad    hunting-grounds,  covering 

two-thirds  of  the  present  State. 

Next  to  the  settlements  lived  the  Mohawks,  who 
formed  the  strongest  and  brightest  link  in  the  chain  of 
friendship  that  bound  together  the  League  and  the  Colo- 
nies.^   They  were  partially  civilized,  enjoying  the  instruc- 


1  Zeinberger's  MS.  Hist,  of  the  Indians ;    Morgan^s  League  .ftL.the 
,Iroc[i,iois,  with  a  map  of  their  country  in  1720. 


DAVID  ZEISBEROEB. 


55 


tions  of  Barclay,  an  Episcopal  missionary.^  Among  them  "^ 
lived  Sir  William  Johnson,  the  Indian  agent,  who  knew  j 
better  than  any  other  man  how  to  sway  the  proud  Iro-  \^ 
quois.    His  seat,  at  Kolaneka,  the  present  Johnstown,  in] 
Fulton  County,  was  a  place  of  great  celebrity,  where  j 
he  was  accustomed  to  entertain  their  sachems  and  w|^ 


riors. 


One  of  the  chief  towns  of  the  Mohawks  was  Canajo- 
harie.  Between  it  and  the  plantations  of  the  Palatines 
lay  William's  Fort,  which  was  both  an  English  post  and 
a  village  of  natives.' 

Neighbors  of  the  Mohawks  were  the  Oneidat,  whose) 
territory  extendi  *1  from  the  St.  Lawrence  River  toPenn-^ 
sylvania,  and,  by  a  westward  deflection  of  the  b'mndaryj 
line,  included  the  lake  bearing  their  name.     Tben  came  Q|  J-^, 
the  Tuscaroras,  the  youngest  branch  of  the  Confederacy,  j 
originally  from  North  Carolina,  whence  they, had  beenj 
driven  for  attempting  to  extirpate  the  colonists  of  that  \ 
Province.     Adopted  by  the  Iro(][uoi8  in  1712,  they  weref  f[ 
made^.the_8ixtli..tribe  of  the  Leaguej  which  waa..thencej       i 
forth  known  a,s  the  Six  Nations.     Tuscarora  towns,  on\ 
the  main  road  to  Onondaga,  were  Anajot,  Ganatisgoa,  j 
Ganochserage,  Tioehrungwe,  an«l  Sganatees.  <«!:: 


-fX 


J  Smith's  Hist,  of  N.  Y.,  ii.  77. 

'  Williiim  Joiinson  immigrated  to  America  in  1734,  and  undertoolc  tho 
managcmont  of  an  estate  in  the  Mohawif  valley  for  Sir  Peter  Warren,  / 
embarking  also  in  tho  fur  trade  witli  tho  Indians,  whose  language  ho 
learned.    Having  been  commissioned  a  General  in  the  Colonial  army,  he 
received,  in  175'),  the  appointment  of  Superintendent-General  of  Indian' 
Affairs.     In  tho  same  year  ho  defeated  tho  French  and  French  Indians! 
under  Count  do  Deiskaa,  and  for  this  victory  was  knighted.  "^ 

8  Zeisberger's  Journal  of  a  Visit  to  the  Mohawk  Country  in  1745. 
MS.  B.  A. 


m 

1' 

III 

!   ! 

ii 

'1    '^ 

> 

'i    ii. 

1  'i      M 

! 

il 


Clip:!  I 


I 


IMP  yi 

mi-' 


I  i    ) 


irH 


/Ov^^--^^* 


7.>* 


X 


^ 


66 


L/F£  ^iVZ)   27if^5  OF 


^. 


In  the  middle  of  the  Iroquois  country  lay  the  posses- 
Bions  of  the  Ouondagas.  This  nation  was  the  head  of 
I  the  Confederacy,  and  the  custodian  of  the  coraraon  coun- 
1  cil-iire.  A  few  miles  southeast  of  the  Salt  Lake,  on  the 
jZinochsaa,^  stood  Onondaga,  the  capital  of  the  League, 
jdivided  into  an  upper  and  lower  town,  the  latter  called 
fTagochsanagechti.  It  was  a  place  of  note  and  a  seat  of 
power.  In  its  long  and  arched  council-house  assembled 
the  sachems,  from  every  part  of  the  Confederacy,  in  order 
to  deliberate  upon  the  aflairs  of  the  same ;  and  when 
the  occasion  was  important  hundreds  of  their  followers 
often  accompanied  them,  filling  the  village  or  bivouack- 
ing in  the  surrounding  forest.  Here,  with  the  most 
punctilious  adherence  to  parliamentary  propriety,  as 
established  by  the  Indian,  and  with  a  decorum  greater 
far  than  can  be  found  in  some  of  the  legislative  bodies 
of  the  white  man,  plans  were  adopted  and  principles 
settled  which  had  an  important  bearing  upon  the  his- 
tory of  America.  Here  were  duly  considered  the  over- 
tures of  friendship,  which  the  Iroquois  received  from  the 
two  greatest  kingdoms  of  Europe,  whose  statesmen 
waited,  not  without  anxiety,  for  the  decision  of  this 
council  of  American  savages. 

Nor  were  political  emissaries  the  only  visitors  at  Onon- 
daga.    Messengers  of  the  Gospel  of  peace  came  there ; 
[bishops  of  the  Moravian  Church  concluded  alliances; 
jand.Zei8ber^er  had  a  house  of  his  own,  aiidjva8..rggjirded_ 


>  The  present  Onondnga  Creek,  flowing  into  Onondaga  or  the  Salt 
Lake. 


-iM 


DAVID  ZEISBEKGER. 


57 


the  Salt 


The  nearest  British  post,  and  a  second  rendezvous  for 
traders,  was  Oswego. 

West  of  the  Onondagas  lived   the  Cayugas,  whose  ) 
principal  towns  were  Cayuga,  Ganutarage,  Sannio,  and ;. 
Ondachoe,  which  all  enlivened  the  shores  of  tlie  lake  to! 
which  the  tribe  has  given  its  name. 

The  remainder  of  New  York,  to  the  crested  flood  of  \ 
Niagara,  leaping  into  its  deep  abyss,  and  to  the  broad 
waters  of  Lake  Erie,  radiant  in  the  light  of  tlie  setting 
sun,  afforded  the  wild  Senecas  a  home.  TJiojiiostjiu- 
merous  and  j)owerful  people  of  the  Confederacy,  they 
offered  a  determined  opposition  to  the  encroachments 
of  the  white  race.  Zonesschio,  Ganataqueh,  and  Ilach- 
niage  were  some  of  their  villages. 

The  country  of  the  Iroquois  was  well  adapted  to  their 
habits.  "Wooded  hills  and  beautiful  lakes  diversified  it ; 
salt  springs  poured  out  their  abundance ;  a  system  of 
creeks  and  rivers  stretched  from  one  end  of  it  almost  to 
the  other.  Around  these  water-courses  lay  the  favorite 
haunts  of  the  hunter.  There  he  trapped  the  beaver,  or, 
launching  his  canoe  of  birch-bark,  threw  out  his  fish- 
baskets  and  caught  thousands  of  eels  in  a  single  night, 
or,  paddling  up  the  small  streams  when  the  forests  began 
to  glow  in  their  autumnal  hues,  speared  the  delicious 
salmon.  The  villages,  too,  were  generally  near  to  some 
stream,  and  environed  by  orchards.  In  many  parts  of 
the  land  swamps  of  white  cedars  spread  their  gloom, 
deep  and  silent  homes  of  the  bear.  Deer  were  not  as 
common  as  in  Pennsylvania,  but  other  game  abounded. 

Numerous  trails  intersected  this  country ;  they  led  to 


■\ 


V 


58 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


its  principal  towns,  and  had  been  trodden  by  the  Indians 
for  generations.  One  of  them  in  particular  deserves  to 
be  mentioned :  commencing  at  Albany,  it  followed  the 
Mohawk  River  and  passed  through  the  Oneida,  Tusca- 
rora,  and  Onondaga  cantons  to  the  metropolis,  continu- 
ing thence  through  the  lands  of  the  Cayugas  and  Sene- 
cas,  it  divided  into  two  branches  near  its  end,  reached 
Niagara  on  the  north  and  the  head  of  Lake  Erie  on  the 
south,  not  far  from  Buffalo,  thus  traversing  the  entire 
length  of  the  present  Empire  State.  This  was  the 
great  highway  of  the  Six  Nations,  and  designated  the 

I  course  for  the  future   multitudes  which  would  sweep 

\    westward  along  trails  of  iron  on  the  wings  of  steam. 
S    Other  trails  going  south  centered  at  Tioga,  in  Pennsyl- 

i    vania.' 

Writers  are  much  divided  in  opinion  with  regard  to 
the  number  of  the  Iroquois.  The  middle  of  the  seven- 
teenth century  was,  in  the  judgment  of  Morgavi,  the  era 
of  their  greatest  prosperity,  for  he  supposes  them  to  have 
then  had  at  least  twenty-five  thousand  souls.^  In  1745, 
they  counted,  according  to  some  authorities,  about  one- 
half  less;  according  to  ethers,  scarcely  four  thousand  per- 
i  sons,  women  and  children  included.   This  latter  estimate, 

^  however,  is  entirely  too  low.     Many  of  them  lived  in 
I  Canada,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  West.     Sucl^^emigrant^ 
\J[rog[uois  \yere  called  Mingoes^ 


'i 


1  The  Iroquois  country  described  by  Zeishcrger  in  his  MS.  Hist,  of  he 
\  Indians;  the  trails  by  Morgan  in  his  League  of  the  Iroquois,  412. 
/     '  Morgan's  Iroquois  League. 


^y/<i^:■^^-^ 


(O 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


59 


}  Indians 
serves  to 
3vved  the 
a,  Tusca- 

continu- 
,nd  Sene- 
,  reached 
'ie  on  the 
he  entire 

was  the 
iiated  the 
lid  sweep 
of  steam. 
L  Pennsyl- 

regard  to 
;he  seven- 
(i,  the  era 
m  to  have 

In  1745, 

30ut  one- 
isand  per- 

estimate, 
1  lived  in 

emigrant^ 


Hist,  of  he 

:,  412. 


Pennsylvania  fills  an  important  place  in  our  picture.*  j 
When  Zeisberger  entered  the  missionary  field  the  work 
of  building  up  this  Province  to  a  broad  and  massive  j 
Keystone  State  was  progressing.     William  Penn  slept; 
with  his   fathers;   but  the  wise  policy  which  he  had! 
initiated,    and    the    liberal    principles    which    he    hadj 
established,  had  borne  fruits.     The  first  charter  given 
by   him  was  based   upon   two  fundamental   truths   of 
political  economy :  that  the  happiness  of  society  is  the 
real  object  of  civil  power,  and  that  freedom  exists  only 
where  the  laws  rule  and  the  people  are  parties  to  them.^ 
Hence  his  Province  enjoyed  a  greater  share  both  of  civil 
and   religious  liberty   than   any   of  its   neighbors ;   its 
population  rapidly  increased,  and  its  progress  in  other 
respects  was  extraordinary.     Only  sixty-three  years  had 
elapsed  since  the  landing  of  Penn  at  New  Castle,  and 
already  Pennsylvania  numbered  about  one  hundred  and 
ten  thousand  inhabitants,'   carried   on   a   considerable 
trade,  possessed  large  tracts  of  well-cultivated  land,  and 
had  for  its  capital  a  city  ranking  second  among  all  the 
cities  of  the  Colonies.* 
From    many  countries   of   Europe   immigrants  had 

'  Authorities :  Gordon's  History  of  Ponnsylvaniu  ;  Watson's  Annals 
of  Philadelphia;  Rupp's  Hif-torios  of  Lancaster,  Berks,  and  Lebanon 
Counties ;  Pennsylvania  Historical  Collections  ;  and  various  MSS.  in 
B.  A. 

'  Gordon,  173 

'  The  population,  in  1745,  cannot  be  exactly  ascertained;  the  number 
I  give  is  based  upon  figures  for  1731  and  1751,  in  Proud's  History  of 
Pennsylvania. 

♦  At  that  time  Boston  was  the  largest  city  in  the  Colonies.  In  1742 
its  population  was  16,582. 


V 


0, 


<-<vJ 


60 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


sought  and  found  a  home  within  its  hospitable  confines. 

SHere  lived  together  Quakers  and  Episcopalians,  Presby- 
terians and  Moravians,  Schvvenkfelders  and  Lutherans, 
Tunkers  and  lleformed.  Baptists  and  Seventh-day  Bap- 
tists, Roman  Catholics'  and  Mennonites,  Separatists  and 
■•the  Inspired,  Hermits  and  the  New  Born,  and  there  was 
/none  to  make  them  afraid.     It  is  true  their  spiritual 
state  was  often  lamentable.     Spangenberg  draws  a  dark 
/picture  of  the  Germans  especially.     "Thousands,"  he 
i  says,  "  concerned  themselves   so    little  about  religion 
\  that  it  had  become  a  proverb  to  say  of  a  person  wholly 
i indifferent  to  God's  will  and  word:  He  is  of  the  Penn- 
isylvania   religion. "^      Others    were    given    up    to    the 
jmost  extravagant  fanaticism,  while  the  young  generally 
remained  without  an  education,  uncared  for  and  for- 
lorn. 

Although  Spangenberg  is  mistaken  when  he  assigns 
one  hundred  thousand  Germans  to  Pennsylvania,^  yet 
they  outnumbered  all  other  nationalities,  and,  being 
mostly  landholders,  their  votes  at  elections  were  eagerly 
solicited.  The  Quakers  constituted  not  one-third  of  the 
population.*  German  industry,  therefore,  was  changing 
the  wilderness  into  fruitful  farms,  and  developing  the 
resources   of   the   country.      At    the   same    time,   the 


<     1  The  Eomnn  Catholics  wore  held  in  such  abhorrence  in  England  that 
(_even  Pcnn  reluctantly  received  them. — Qordon's  History  of  Pennsyl' 
vatiia,  570,  etc. 

*  Spangonberg's  Leben  Zinzendorf,  Part  v.,  1380. 

*  Spangenberg's  Leben  Zinzendorf,  Part  v.,  1379. 

J     *  Gordon's  Hist,  of  Pcnn.     Proud,  in  his  Hist,  of  Penn,,  states  that 
j  in  one  year  (1749),  12,000  German  immigrants  arrived. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


61 


yet 


the 


tenaciouaness  with  which  this  people  clung  to  their 
mother-tongue,  over  against  the  manifest  destiny  of 
the  English  to  heeome  the  language  of  the  American 
Colonies,  was  the  cause  of  the  gross  ignorance  that 
still  gives  to  many  of  our  German  farmers  so  unenviable 
a  notoriety. 

To  Pennsylvania  belonged  three  counties  on  the 
Delaware  River — New  Castle,  Kent,  and  Sussex — 
which  now  make  up  the  State  of  Delaware.  In  the 
early  period  of  Colonial  history  they  were  known  as 
"The  Territories."  Of  these  we  will  not  speak,  but 
turn  to  an  account  of  the  Province  itself.  Under 
cultivation  was  that  part  which  is  bounded  by  the  Blue 
Mountains  on  the  west,  the  Delaware  on  the  east,  and 
Maryland  on  the  south.  This  section  was  divided  into 
four  counties — Philadelphia,  Bucks,  Chester,  and  Lan- 
caster— of  which  the  first  three  had  been  laid  out  by 
Penn  himself  as  early  as  1682,  and  the  last  dated  to 
1729.      They  all  embraced  larger  areas  than  at  presnt. 

Philadelphia  County,  extending  in  a  northwesternly 
direction  to  the  mountains,  and  including  a  part  of 
Berks  and  the  whole  of  Montgomery,  was  the  seat  of 
Penn's  original  settlements,  and  of  the  capital  of  the 
Province. 

The  City  of  Philadelphia,  founded  in  1682  on  the 
Delaware,  numbered,  in  the  first  year  of  its  existence, 
eighty-two  houses;  in  1745,  it  had  fifteen  hundred} 
houses,  and  a  population  of  thirteen  thousand  souls.  It 
stretched  along  the  river,  and  High  or  Market  Street, 
its  principal  thoroughfare,  reached  barely  to  what  is 


ill 


1  ill 


/ 


/' 


62 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


now  Sixth.  The  market-houses,  which  for  so  long  a 
period  made  tliis  thorouglitUre  celebrated,  but  which 
to-day  belong  to  the  things  that  were,  had  been  erected 
from  Front  to  T  lird  Streets. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  public  edifices  of  the  city, 
altiiough  its  glory  had  departed  in  1745,  was  the  "Old 
Court  House,"  at  Second  and  High  Streets — a  quaint 
structure  set  on   arches,  beneath  which   markets  were 
held,  and  having  a  gallery  along  the  front  gable  on  a 
level  with  the  upper  story,  and  steps  on  both  sides  lead- 
ing down  to  the  street.  A  cupola  with  a  bell  surmounted 
(the    building.      Until    the    year    1735,  it   formed    the 
/"Greate  Towne  House,"  where  the  Assembly  met,  and 
\from  the  gallery  of  which  the  Governors  addressed  the 
Ahe   people.'     It  was   superseded  by  the  present  State 
fllousc.^    Notable,  too,  was   the    Stone   Prison,  at   the 
southwest  corner  of  Third  and  High  Streets,  consisting 
of  two   houses,  joined   by  a   lofty  wall,  that   on    High 
Street  being  the  Debtor's  Jail,  and  that  on  Third,  the 
Work  House.     The  "  Carpenter  Mansion,"  a  handsome 
edifice  on  Chestnut  Street  above   Sixth,  had  been  set 
apart  as  the  residence  of  the  Governor.     It  was'  sur- 
rounded by  grounds  and  orchards  from  Sixth  to  Sev  nth 
Streets,  and  in  front  of  it  stood  a  range  of  fine  cherry- 
trees. 


/     1  This  gallery  once  scrvocl  Wliitcfield  ns  a  pulpit,  where  he  preached 
jwith  so  stentorian  a  voice  lliat  ho  was  heard  far  out  on  the  Delaware 
j  River. 

^Commenced   in   1729.   finished   in   1734;    afterward    it    underwent 
various  changes  until  it  assumed  its  present  appearance. 


■M 


DAVID  ZEISBKRQER. 


68 


JO  long  a 
lut  which 
n  erected 

F  the  city, 

the  "Old 

-a  quaint 

vcts  were 

ible  on  a 

ides  lead- 

rmounted 

■med    the 

met,  and 

essed  the 

ent  State 

1,  at  the 

onsisting 

on    High 

ill  I'd,  the 

landsome 

been  set 

was'  sur- 

)  Sev  nth 

e  cherrj- 


iie  preached 
e  Delaware 

underwent 


The  churches  of  tlie  city  numbered  eleven,  and  were 
distributed  among  the  Baptists,  Presbyterians,  Quakers, 
Moravians,    Episcopalians,   Lutherans,    llelbrmed,  and 
Roman    Catholics.     Particularly  interesting  were    the 
Swedes'  Church  and  the  Academy.      The  former  was  . 
the  oldiest  place  of  worship  in_Pha[ajdelp,hiii,  having  been  / 
founded  by  the  Swedish   colonists   in   1G77,  five  years  ■  - 
before  the  arrival  ot  Penn  ;  the  latter,  at  the  instance  of| 
Whitelield,  had  been  built  by  subscription,  "  for  the  use\  V 
of  itinerant  preachers  forever." 

Public  squares  were  unknown.  Washington  Square, 
which  now  offers  its  refreshing  shade  to  the  weary 
citizen,  was  a  potter's-field.  Instead  of  such  artificial 
grounds,  however,  a  natural  park  of  noble  trees  covered 
the  entire  area  between  Market  and  South  Streets, 
Broad  Street  and  the  Schuylkill  liiver.  It  was  called 
the  "  Center  Wood,"  also  "Governor's  Wood." 

A  chaitcr,  granted  in  1701,  constituted  the  people 
of  PhiladeljOiia  a  body-  corporate,  under  the  name  and 
style  of  "  The  Mayor  and  Commonalty  ol'  the  City  of 
Philadelphia,  in  the  Province  of  Pennsylvania."  The 
government  was  composed  of  a  Mayor,  Recorder, 
Aldermen,  and  Common  Council,  all  elected  by  the 
corporation. 

Among  the  neighboring  towns,  Frankford  and  Ger-\ 
mantown  were  best  known.  The  latter,  founded  in  I 
1683  by  Francis  Pastorius  and  a  body  of  immigrants  ( 
from  Germany,  was  an  incorporated  borough ;  contained  /' 
meeting-houses  for  the  Friends,  Bunkers,  and  Menno- 
nites;  and  churches  for  the  Lutherans  and  Reformed. 


64 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


Ui  :i , 


In  1746,  the  Moravians  began  a  boarding-school,  at  the 
house  of  John  Bechtol.  The  handsome  summer-resi- 
dences which  now  beautify  the  place  were  not  seen. 
It  was,  as  its  name  denotes,  a  settlement  of  German 
farmers.  Germans,  too,  occupied  parts  of  tlie  present 
Montgomery  County ;  both  Schwenkfelders,  whose  plan- 
tations clustered  around  Skippack,  and  Lutherans  from 
the  Palatinate,  who  had  a  church  at  Trappe.  Other 
parts  were  settled  by  Quakers,  and  Gwynedd  Township 
by  Welsh. 

Bucks  County,  running  in  the  same  direction  and  as 
far   iS  that  of  Philadelphia,  was  bounded  by  the  same 
mountains.    It  subsequently  shared  its  area  with  North- 
ampton and  Lehigh.     Quakers  and  Irish  inhabited  the 
(lower  half,  in  which  Bristol,  an  incorporated  borough  on 
jthe  Delaware,  was  the  principal  town,  and  Ponnsbury 
jManor,  five  miles  from  Bristol,  once  the  handsome  coun- 
\  try-seat  of  William  Penu,  lay  neglected  and  fallen  into 
I  premature  decay.     The  upper  section  bore  the  name  of 
Ith^^Fprks  of  the^ela\vare."^ 

/  In  1737,  the  Indian  title  to  its  lands  had  been  extin- 
/guished  by  the  far-faraed  "walking  purchase;"'*  but  it 


\ 


1  Now  Northampton  County,  which  was  established  in  1752. 

"  At  a  treaty  held  by  the  Proprietaries  in  1737,  in  relation  to  a  tract 

;  of  land  purchased  by  W.  Pcnn  in  1686,  but  never  laid  off  and  ceded,  it 

was  agreed  that  the  natives  should  alienate  so  much  as  a  man  could  walk 

over  in  one  and  a  half  days,  beginning  near  Wrightstown,  Bucks  County, 

\.  and  going  north  toward  the  Blue  Mountains.    The  Proprietaries  having 

''  advertised  for  the  most  expert  walkers,  several  offered  their  services.  Of 

these  three  were  selected,  who  undertook  the  walk  on  the  19th  and  20th 

of  September.     By  no'  ii  of  tli'  20th  one  of  them  reached  the  Tobihanna 

Creek,  beyond  the  mountains,  much  to  the  indignation  of  the  Indians. 


.if. 


Ik 


DAVID  ZEISBERQER. 


65 


)ol,  at  the 
iiner-resi- 
not  seen. 
German 
e  present 
lose  plan- 
ran  8  from 
!.  Other 
lownship 

)n  and  as 
the  same 
th  North- 
bited  the 
)rough  on 
ennsbury 
me  coun- 
illen  into 
I  name  of 

en  extin- 
''^  but  it 

)2. 

)n  to  a  tract 
nd  ceded,  it 
1  could  walk 
cks  County, 
irics  having 
ervices.  Of 
th  and  20th 
!  Tobihnnna 
le  Indians. 


was,  as  yet,  sparsely  settled.  The  first  inhabitants  came 
from  North  Ireland,  and  established  themselves  below 
Bath,  in  the  "Irish  Settlements."  They  wore  followed 
by  Germans,  among  whom  Zeisberger's  people,  the  Mo- 
ravians, soon  attracted  the  attention  of  the  entire  Prov- 
ince. Building  Bethlehem  and  Nazareth,  having  a  log 
church  at  Maguntsche,  laying  out  Christiansbruun  and 
Gnadenthal,'  they  created  centers  of  a  wide-spread  in- 
fluence, both  in  a  material  and  spiritual  point  of  view ; 
for  they  were  no  less  successful  as  farmers  and  mechan- 
ics than  they  were  zealous  as  missionaries  and  faithful 
as  preachers  of  righteousness. 

Easton,  the  flourishing^  county-town  of  Nprthanipton,N 
clR|_not  ejdst  iii^Jl745;  it  was  begun  five  years  later.^ 
There  were,  in  fact,  no  villages  other  than  the  Moravian, 
and  these  were  quite  small.     The  settlers  were  found  atk^' 
wide  intervals  as  far  as  the  Blue  Mountains,  and  a  few  in'^ 
Smithfield  Township,  beyond  the  ridge;  but  the  larger, 
part  of  that  territory  was  a  dense  wilderness,  the  Towa-  \ 
mensing  of  the  Indians,  where  they  delighted  to  hunt.* 
In  an  earlier  period  another  of  their  chosen  resorts  had 
been  the  Minnisinks,  broad  flats  east  of  the  Delaware 
Water-Gap.    Th_ercjheJ^on8eys  had  kindled  their  great  j 
<^u«.^ldfii:fiJ. JH^3^1tfi_  incn:8",cabins  usu rped  its  place,^ 

The  County  of  Chester  included  the  present  Delaware 


n 


1  The  Indians  called  Bothlohcm  Mpiagachsjlnk ;  Nazareth.  ]Velaga- 
inikaj  ChriMiimslmajin.aMjGnadenth^ 

'  The  Indian  name  fglL^aston  was  Lechaijmjtml.'' 

»  The  Moravians  called  this  wilderness  "AnthoiTy's  Wilderness  "  after") 
the  Rev.  AiUhonj.,Seyfcrt,  the.  first. Jloravian  minister  ordained  in 
America.  " "" " *''■"-  *"-J 


66 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


County,  aud  was  first  settled  by  Quakers.  Later  came 
Scotch-Irisli  Presbyterians  and  Welsb,  the  latter  select- 
ing tbe  Great  Valley  for  tbeir  farms.  Old  Chester,  or 
Upland,  was  the  seat  of  justice. 

Lancaster  County,  the  fruitful  mother  of  the  present 
York,  Cumberland,  Berks,  Northumberland,  Dauphin, 
and  Lebanon,  supported  a  numerous  population,  mostly 
of  Germans.  Its  county  seat  was  Lancaster  Town, 
wliich  had  a  Quaker  meeting-house,  a  Lutheran  and  a 
Reformed  church.  Soon  after  1745  an  Episcopal  chapel 
was  erected.  Ten  years  later  there  were  two  thousand 
inhabitants.  A  public  high-way  to  Philadelphia  had 
been  laid  out  as  early  as  1733. 

This  county  was  divided  into  eight  districts,  whose 

plantations  stretched  along  Conestoga  Creek  toward  the 

Susquehanna,  through  Strasburg  Township,  where  the 

Mennonites  congregated,  and  along  Mill  Creek,  in  the 

Weber  Thai.     Besides  these  homesteads,  the  villages  of 

Reamstown,  Siiue  Schwamm,  now  New  Holland,  and 

Adamstown  had  been  begun.     At  Ephrata  were  found, 

l  in  all  their  original  simplicity,  under  the  guidance  of 

'j  Conrad  Beissel,  their  "  father,"  the  Seventh-Day  Bap- 

^' tists,  living  in  a  convent  for  the  "brethren,"  and  in  u 

I  nunnery  for  the  "sisters,"  eating   their  simple   meals 

Ifrom  diminutive  wooden  platters  of  their  own  mami- 

'facture,  and  sleeping  at  night  on   hard  benches,  with 

Jsharp-corncred  blocks  for  their  pillows.     The  Moravian 

/town  of  Litiz  was  not  yet  in  existence;  on  its  present 

site  George  Klein  garnered  plentiful  harvests,  and  Ny- 

berg,  a  Lutheran  minister  of  Lancaster,  preached  the 


DAVID    ZEISBERGER. 


U( 


iter  came 

ter  select- 
hester,  or 

le  present 
Dauphin, 
)n,  mostly 
or  Town, 
ran  and  a 
pal  eliapel 
>  thousand 
Iphia   had 

cts,  whose 
:oward  the 
where  the 
ek,  in  the 
illages  of 
and,  and 
e  found, 
idancc  of 
)ay  Bap- 
and  in  a 
le   meals 
n  manu- 
hcs,  with 
Moravian 
ts  present 
,  and  Ny- 
ched  the 


er 


Gospel  in  a  small  log  church,  called  St.  James.^  To 
the  north,  near  tlie  Furnace  IlilLs,  were  iron -works, 
established  in  1728,  by  the  Grubb  family. 

Where  Columbia  sees  the  busy  trade  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania'Railroad,  nestled  a  little  settlement;  another  was 
visible  on  the  opposite  bank,  at  AVrightsville ;  and  far- 
ther west,  in  York,  Adams,  and  Cumberland  Counties, 
were  isolated  farms.  The  Town  of  York,  laid  out  in 
1741,  was  an  insignificant  hamlet;  but  Harris's  Ferry, 
the  nucleus  of  the  present  City  of  Harrisburg,  by  the 
courage  and  indomitable  perseverance  of  John  Harris, 
its  founder,  had  been  made  so  celebrated  an  outpost  of 
civilization  that  its  fame  spread  not  only  through  the 
Colonics,  but  to  every  country  of  Europe,  whence  immi- 
grants had  come  to  Pennsylvania. 

That  smiling  valley,  wliicli  lends  its  name  lO  the  Leba- 
non Valley  Railroad,  was  well  settled ;  but  neither  with 
Lebanon  nor  with  any  of  the  other  thriving  towns,  at 
which  the  cars  now  stop,  did  the  trader  and  the  occa- 
sional traveler  meet,  Y'et  there  were  some  points  of 
interest.  Near  the  site  of  Lebanon,  the  Moravians,  in 
1745,  organized  a  church,  and  soon  after  erected  Ile- 
V)ron,  a  large  chapel  of  unbewn  stone;  in  Tulpehockeu 
Township,  the  new  home  of  the  Palatines  from  New 
York,  another  church,  under  the  auspices  of  the  same 


1  Gcorgo  Klein  hiivincj  donatod  hi«  farm  to  the  Moravian  Church^ 
Litiz  was  laid  out  in  17oG,  and  made  a  Moravian  settlement,  like  Beth- 
lehem and  Nazareth.     The  exclusive  system,  as  in  all  former  Moravian  1 
towns  of  this  country,  has  long  since  been  relinquished.     St.  .Tanios'sl 
Ciiureh  stood  on  the  present  turnpike  to  Lancaster,  just  above  the  firsti 
houses  of  Litiz. 


68 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


\'m 


religionists,  was  built  in  the  same  year ;  a'xl  about  lialf  a 
mile  east  of  the  present  Wommelsclorf  lay  the  seat  of 
1  Conrad  Weisser,  that  distinguished  Indian  Agent  au 4, 
.'Government  Interpreter,  who  exercised  so  great  an  in- 
»liuence  over  the  natives,  and  so  zealously  promoted  the 
•Moravian  Mission.^    At  Reading,  now  a  prosperous  city, 
the  terminus  of  live  railways,  on  one  of  which  the  coal- 
treasures  disemboweled  from  the  hills  of  Pennsylvania 
hourly  pass  by,  in  trains  of  prodigious  length,  to  the 
emporium  at  Philadelphia,  there  stood  probably  but  a 
single  house.^    To  the  south  of  it,  was  Oley  Township, 
settled  by  French  Huguenots,  among  whose  descendants 
the  Moravians  had  established  a  boarding-school  and  a 
small  congregation. 

In   some   respects  the   government  of  Pennsylvania 

difl'ered  from  that  of  New  York.     William  Penn  having 

'entered  into  negotiations  with  the  Crown  to  sell  his  title 

land  claim,  but  dying  before  they  could  be  concluded, 

the  proprietorship  gave  rise  to  protracted  legal  action. 

(Finally,  however,   liis   three   sons  by  his  second  wife, 

f  Thomas,   John,   and   Richard,   became   his    successors. 

tin  1745,  Thomas  and  John  Penn  lived  at  Philadelphia, 

where  was  their  Land  Office,  from  which  warrants  were 


'  C.  Woissor,  liorn  atHorrciiborj^,  Wurtombero;,Nov.  2, 1000,  inimisriitiHl 
I  with  his  fatlicT  to  America  in  1710,  settled  in  tli£  AIohu^]i..vjilU^-j  iiiid 
j  lived  with  Quagnunt,  an  Indian  chief,  from  wliom  l.c  learned  the  Mylm^iyk 
fand  other  native  lansjuajje^.  Komovinsjf,  in  T720,  to  Tiilpehciclcen,  he 
,'  was  appointed  Indian  Agent,  Government  Interpreter,  and  Justice  of 
I  the  Peace  by  Governor  Thomas.  In  the  Indian  and  French  War  lie 
e.ommanded  the  second  battalion  of  the  Penn.  Reginu^nt.  Ho  died 
July  13,  17(iO,  and  lies  buried  on  hi:^  farm, 

^  Heading  was  laid  ou'  in  1748;  Berks  County  organized  in  1752. 


I'! 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


69 


>ut  half  a 
e  seat  of 
gent  au4, 
at  an  iu- 
loted  the 
I'ous  city, 
.  the  coal- 
nsylvania 
th,  to  the 
bly  but  a 
["ownship, 
iscendauts 
ool  and  a 

msylvania 

nn  having 

11  his  title 

oncluded, 

al  action. 

ond  wife, 

uccessors. 

adclphia, 

ants  were 

irnminratiHl 
-V-iaii^i..!>l!i 

ichiickcn,  he 
1  Justice  of 
nch  War  \w 
It.      Ho  (]i<il 

Ml  1762. 


issued  for  newly-purchased  tracts.     The  Proprietaries,  | 
with  the  consent  of  the  Crown,  appointed  the  Governor  i 
or  Lieutenj.nt-Governor,  as  he  was  styled.    In  the  period  > 
under  review,  George  Tliomas,  a  planter  from  Antigua, 
filled  this  office.     The  Council,  whose  Secretary  was 
Richard  Peters,  an  Episcopal  clergyman,  formed  a  body 
of  advisers  U   the  Governor;  and  the  Assembly  was 
electe.l  annually  by  the  people.     This  yearly  election 
constituted  a  prerogative  which  Pennsylvania  enjoyed 
over  other  Colonies.     The  Sheriffs  were  designated  for 
three  years  by  the  Governor,  within  three  days  after 
return  made  to  him  from  two  persons  chosen  by  the 
freemen  of  each  county ;  and  Clerks  of  the  Peace  were 
nominated    in    the    same    way,    from    three    persons 
returned  by  the  Justices.      The  Assembly  numbered  | 
thirty  \    rsons,  and  was  wholly  under  the  influence  of  > 
the  Quakers.     In  1741  there  were  only  three  members] 
not  of  this  persuasion. 

Over  all  that  wide  country  which  lies  beyond  the  . 
Blue  Mountains  to  the  several  limits  of  the  State,  and 
wiiich  now  is  its  bono  and  sinew,  roamed  clans  of 
aborigines.  Some  of  these  were  without  permanent 
homes,  broken  remnants  of  former  nations,  weak,  poor, 
and  degenerate;  others  were  mixed  bodies  of  vagrants 
from  various  tribes,  having  little  villages  in  common, 
and  even  inhabiting  the  same  wigwams;^  while  still 
others,    like    the  j^onestoga    IjKliaJJS,    resided    in    the 


,^ 


Cy 


•"t^. 


'  Ou  the  gii^U'^'-'Uaanuj  Zcisb«g(ix.fy.uiad.^uhicju\9jJJ,lVJLa.W.«S    UOd 


1! 

!!'      Mil:' 

I     '^ 

1 1 

i 

?i ,  'ffl 


i 

i^ 

i:.   i 

i:; 

!'    ! 

! 
_) 

i" . 

ill 

11  '^^''' 

70 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


counties,  supporting  themselves  by  the  sale  of  baskets, 
brooms,  and  wooden  dishes.' 
'      Two  tribes  of  the  Wyoming  Valley — the  Shawanese 
'iand  Nanticokes— were  more  numerous  and  powc-rful. 
'     The   former   had   been    expelled   from   Florida,    and 
i  adopted  as  nephews  by  the  Dolawares.     In  their  new 
Iseats  they  increased  so  rapidly  that  a  portion  of  them 
emigrated  to  the  Ohio  River,  and  erected  their  lodges 
below  the  mouth  of  the  Scioto.'     Those  who  remained 
in  Wyoming  built  a  village  on  the  west  baidc  of  the 
Susquehanna,  opposite  to  the  confluence  of  the  Lacka- 
wanna.^   They  were  a  savage  and  perfidious  race. 

The  llTanticokes,  having  been  driven  from  the  Eastern 
Shore  of  Maryland,  had  likewise  been  adopted  by  the 
Delawares.  They  took  up  their  abode  below  the 
Lackawanna,  on  the  east  bank,  of  the  Susquehanna, 
,not  far  from  Pittston,  in  sight  of  the  Shawanese 
town.*  At  a  later  time,  single  parties  of  them  moved 
to  the  north,  as  far  as  Chemung;  and,  in  1753,  the 
whole  tribe  left  Wyoming,  and  settled  in  the  Iroquois 
country.*^  The  Shawsxnese  had,  before  this,  joined  their 
brothers  in  Ohio. 

The    most    influential    and    important    among_jthe 
aboris;ines  of  Pennsylvania  were  the  De^AWAres.     Their 


1  Such. Indians  were  often  called  ^'JRiyer  Indians." 

»  Bancroft's  Hist.  U.  S.  iv.  77. 

'  Draft  of  Wyominij;  Valley  by  the  Missionaries.     B.  A. 

♦  Ibid.  A  part  of  the  tribe  came  to  Pennsylvania  before  1745,  and 
lived  near  Harris's  Ferry  ;  the  main  body,  however,  removed  in  that 
year. 

5  Zeisberger's  Journal  of  Journey  to  Onondaga  in  1753.   MS.  B.  A. 


iv-'» 


■M 


% 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


71 


f  baskets, 

Ihawanese 
iveiuiL 
rid  a,  and 
their  new 
1  of  tliem 
eir  lodges 
remained 
ik  of  the 
le  Lacka- 
ice. 

le  Eastern 
2d  by  the 
lolow  the 
luchanna, 
(hawanese 
!m  moved 
1753,  tlie 
3  Iroquois 
ined  their 

long    the 
38.     Their 


favorite  hunting-grouudd  lay  along  the  North  and  West 
Branches  of  the  Susquehanna.  It  was  a  rich  and 
beautiful  country.  The  land  yielded  m^n^e  in  great 
abundance ;  the  river  swarmed  with  rock-tish  and 
shad;  the  beaver  abounded  along  the  smaller  streams; 
and  tlic  forests  were  stocked  with  deer,  elk,  foxes,  and 
raccoons.  Nor  were  retreats  for  the  bear  wanting, — 
great  swamps  of  beech,  white-pine,  and  spruce  trees 
interlocked  so  closely,  and  surrounded  with  so  thick  a 
growth  of  underwood,  that  the  rays  of  the  sun  never 
penetrated  their  deep  recesses.* 

Shamokin,  the  present  Sunbury^  was.  .tlie.jj]3iet^ 
of    the    Indians.''      Its    importajice    in    Pennsylvania 
equaled  that  of  Onontlaga,an  New  York.     It  was  the 
residence  of  x\llemoebi,  who,  although  a  decrepit,  blind,  /' 
old   man,^   ranked   as   the    "King   of  the  Delawares." 
It  was  the  post  of  Shikellimy,  the   Executive  Deputy 
of  the  Grand  Council  of  the  Six  Nations,  and  the  real 
ruler   of    the   Delaware   dependencies.      The   Iroquois' 
were  still  masters ;  the  Delawares  women. 

About  a   daj^'s  journey  from   Shamokin  lay  Oston- 


re  1745,  and 
oved  in  tliat 

MS,  B.  A. 


1  Zei.>ibergcr's  MS.  Hist,  of  tho  Indians. 

-David  Brainord,  in  his  Diary,  Sept.   13,  1745,  gives  the  following' 
description  of  the  town:  "It  lies  partly  on  tho  cast  side  of  tho  river,  I    , 
partly  on  the  w:>»t,  and  partly  on  a  large  island  in  it,  and  contains  |  /*,     -  , 

upward  of  fifty  houses  and  nearly  three   hundred  persons,  though   j  f  ' '*^'^  '■'^'■*'*-'''^ 
never  saw  niueli  more  than  half  that  number  in  it.     They  are  of  three  /'     ,.,———*— 
different  tribes  of  Indians,  speaking   throe  languages  wholly  unintel- 
ligible to  eacli  other.     About  one-half  of  its  inhabitants  are  Delawares,  I 
the  others  called  Senekas  and  Tutelas." — Brainerd's  Life,  p.  107.      Am.  ! 
Tract  Soc.  Ed. 

8  Spangenberg's  Journal  of  his  Journey  to  Onondaga  in  1745.     MS. 
B.  A. 


72 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


111  <l 


■■V 


■\, 


wacken  on  the  West  Branch,  where,  among  a  mixed 
clan,  dwelt  Madame  Montour,  the  French  widow  of 
Carondowana  or  Robert  Hunter — an  Iroquois  chief 
who  fell  in  a  battle  with  the  Catawbas— and  her  eon, 
Andrew  Montour,  a  warm  and  faithful  friend  of  the 
Colonies. 

Other  towns  on  the  Susquehanna  were  "Wamphallo- 
bank,  in  the  present  Luzerne  County;  Neskapeke,  no\v 
Nescope,  at  the  mouth  of  a  creek  of  the  same  name, 
where  lived  a  Delaware  family,  named  Natumus,  dis- 
tinguished for  its  relative  wealth,  and  owning  a  num- 
ber of  negro  slaves;*  and  Machiwihilusing,  in  Bradford 
County.  The  Alleghany,  too,  was  enlivened  by  Dela- 
ware villages;  while,  in  Ohio,  they  were  multiplying 
so  rapidly  that  they  could  there  boast  of  five  hundred 
warriors  (1750).^  They  owned,  moreover,  a  large  tract 
,of  land  on  the  Wabash,  presented  to  them  by  tkfi-.?^k^ 
agoos,  but  it  was  uninhabited,^ 

The  Pennsylvania  homes  of  the  Delawares,  in  their 
own  figurative  mode  of  speech,  were  but  "night-lodges." 
The  Y^hilanthropic  wish  of  the  original  Proprietary  had 
not  been  realized.  There  was  no  room  for  the  abo- 
rigines. The  steady  advance  of  the  white  man  com- 
pelled them,  at  almost  every  treaty  with  the  Colonial 
authorities,  to  alienate  more  of  their  land,  and  retire  to 
ideeper  recesses  of  the  western  wilderness. 

This  wilderness,  rich  in  broad  lakes  and  noble  rivers, 

1  Map  of  Wyoming  Valley,  by  the  Missionaries.    B.  A. 

'Bancroft's  Hist.  U.  S.,  iv.  77. 

'  Zeisberger's  MS.  Hist,  of  the  Indians. 


liS'j'i' 


DAVID  ZKISBERGER. 


73 


a  mixed 

i 

idow  of 

''i^ 

is    chief 

I 

her  son, 

I  of  the 

mphallo- 
ike,  no\v 
le  name, 
nus,  dis- 
•  a  num- 
Bradford 
by  Dela- 
Itiplying 
hundred 
rge  tract 

in  their 
lodges." 
tary  had 
the  abo- 
an  com- 
Colonial 
retire  to 

e  rivers, 
A. 


% 


fV 


in  magnificent  forests  and  blooming  prairies,  one  of  the 
most  luxuriant  territories  on  the  North  American  Con- 
tinent, and  big  with  the  great  future  which  it   should 
bring  forth,  constituted  the   hunting-grounds  of  many 
tribes.     Around   the  western   head   of   Lake   Erie,  in 
Canada  and  Ohio,  lived  a  remnant  of  the  Ilurons,  or  ' 
Wjandots;  about  Sa^ginaw  Bay, Jhe  Ojibwas  had  their  ! 
wig\yams;  the  waters  of  Lake  Michigan  r.cjdcateil  .the 
council-tir^,-Q£-thc..i)ttawas  and  Potawatoniigs,  on  the 
east,  and  of  the  Monqmonies,  Winnebagoes  and  Kipka-/*  0  "^; 
goos^on  the  west;    the  Chippewas — a  powerful   nation 
mustering    many    braves — were    scattered    in    Canada, 
along  Lake  Huron,  and  south  of  Lake^uperior;  the 
towns^of  the  Sacs,  Foxes,  and  Ottigamies  lay  betweeti 
Lake  Michigan  and  the  Mississippi ;  and  farther  down* 
that  river  were  domiciliated  the  Illinois. 

These  Lidians,  together  with  numerous  other  clans, 
were  claimed  as  allies  by  France,  which  had  established 
military  posts  among  them,  on  the  Wabash,  the  Ohio, 
the  Illinois,  the  Wisconsin,  and  the  Mississippi.  In  a 
report  made  to  the  home  government,  in  1736,  the 
E'rench  Colonial  authorities  asserted  that  no  less  than 
one  hundred  and  three  nations,  comprising  sixteen  thou- 
sand four  hundred  and  three  warriors,  and  eighty-two 
thousand  souls,  were  under  their  control.^  However 
exaggerated  this  report  may  have  been,  or  at  least, 
however  nominal  such  a  sway,  France,  since  the  peace 
of  Utrecht  (1713),  had  again  become  a  formidable  rival 


X 


Schoolcraft's  Ind.  Tribes,  Part  vi.  198. 


M99I 


74 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


of  England,  in  the  New  World,  and  was  active  in 
spreading  her  influence  through  the  valley  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi in  particular.  Hence  the  new  war  which  had 
broken  out  between  these  two  countries  (1744),  although 
it  raged  chiefly  in  Europe  and  on  the  sea,  may  be  called 
the  prelude  to  a  final  struggle  for  the  supremacy  of  the 
North  American  Continent. 


iJi  :ii 


active  in 
f  the  Mis- 
vhich  had 
,  although 
7  be  called 
acy  of  the 


DAVID  ZEISDEBOER. 


76 


CHAPTER   IV. 

GOVERNMENT,  iMANNERS,  CUSTOMS,  CHARACTER,  AND  RELIGION 

OF  TUB  DELAWARES  AND  IROQUOIS  IN  THE  TIMES  OF 

ZEISBERGER. 


Idea  of  government. — The  Iroquois  polity. — Sachems. — Grand  Council. — 
Chiefs. — Chins. — Tlie  later  Iroquois  different  from  their  fathers. — The 
Delaware  government. — National  and  tribal  chiefs. — Counselors  and 
cajitains. — Aboriginal  life  changed  through  the  influence  of  the  white 
men. — Hunting,  its  laws  and  charms. — Other  employments. — House- 
hold utensils. — Towns  and  houses. — The  Indian  at  home. — Dress  of 
the  men  and  the  women. — Children.— Social  intercourse. — Games. — 
Environs  of  a  village  — Magazines,  rum-shops,  vapor-baths,  and  burial- 
grounds.— Dances.— Moral  character,  and  the  false  estimate  of  the 
same. — Zci.sberger's  views. — Cause  of  the  false  estimate. — Religious 
belief  of  the  primitive  Indians. — Outlines  of  their  superstition  in  the 
labt  century. — Indian  oratory. 

The  idea  of  government,  as  found  among  the  abo- 
rigines, pi-esented  interesting  and  peculiar  features. 
The  Indian  was  absolutely  free,  acknowledged  no", 
master,  and  yielded  obedience  to  law  only  in  so  far  as 
he  chose.  His  chiefs  did  not  rule,  in  the  ordinary 
sense;  they  had  no  power  which  they  could  enforce; 
they  could  claim  no  tribute,  however  common  it  was 
to  bring  them  giftst  Their  authority  was  based  upon 
personal  inHuence,  and  upon  the  skill  with  which  they 
guided  their  counselors.  And  yet  there  existed  systems 
of  government  that,  in  spite  of  their  many  imperfec- 
tions, were  far  in  advance  both  of  the  lawlessness  of 
some  savages  and  the  tyranny  which  enslaves  others. 


Iio 


lis 

i''  [ 
-       I 


76 


L//'^  AND    TIMES   OF 


/  Wliat  a  contrast,  for  example,  was  there  not  betvvoon 
jtlieluJiau  nations  of  our  own  country  and  those  African 
tribes  which  siil)mitted  to  the  crnelMca  of  a  despot,  sell- 
iing  thousands  into  servitude,  or  putting  to  deii^h  wives 
and  subjects  for  the  most  trivial  ofteni^e!  The  grand 
princii  '  of  self-government  appears  among  the  former, 
although  in  a  crude  cast;  and  it  may  well  be  said,  that 
the  race  which  came  to  establish  upon  our  Continent 
the  great  republic  wo  have  lived  to  see,  found  a 
faint  type  of  it  amid  the  children  of  its  primeval 
forests. 

This  holds  good  of  the  Irocpiois  system  in  particular, 
which  was  the  best  matured  and  most  successful.    Their 
nations  were  independent  in  some  respects,  but  confed- 
erated in  a  central  government,  to  which  certain  privi- 
leges and  powers  had  been  delegated.    Its  distinguishing 
feature,  however,  was    altogether   peculiar,  and   consti- 
tuted the  League,  as  such,  an  oligarchy  rather  than  a 
republic. 
>•    There     existed    sixty    permanent    sachemships,  eacjh 
/with  a  title  of  its  own,  and  each  hereditary.     The  laws 
of  descent  were  carefully  regulated ;  and  before  a  sachem 
"could  discharge  the  duties  of  lii^^  office  he  must  be  in- 
,  vested  with  his  title  by  a  council  of  his  peers,  or  to  use 
their  own  term  for  the  ceremony,  "raised  up." 

They  were  all  of  the  same  rank,  and  exercised  juris- 
diction, not  separately  or  territorially,  but  in  common, 
throughout  the  Confederacy.     At   its  organization  the 
iMohawks  received  nine  such  sachemships,  the  Oneidas 
jthe  same  number,  the  Onondagas  fourteen,  the  Cayugas 


f. 


i 


--■VC'- 


t  betvvoon 
ic  African 
(spot,  sell- 
ii+h  wives 
'he  grand 
le  former, 
said,  that 
Continent 
found  a 
primeval 

•articnjar, 
il.  Their 
it  eonfed- 
ain  privi- 
iguishing 
(I  consti- 
}r  than  a 

ips,  oacjb 
The  laws 
a  sachem 
ist  be  in- 
or  to  use 

sed  juris- 

coinnion, 

ition  the 

Oneidas 

Ca^'ugas 


0/' 


•V-- 


(p.  /■ 


DAVID  ZEISBERGEB.    ^' 


./- 


77 


ten,  and  the  Senecas  eight.  This  difference  in  numbers, 
however,  caused  no  dispuiity  of  power.  The  saclienis, 
in  their  associated  capacity,  formed  the  Grand  Council, 
where  each  representative  enjoyed  equal  rights  and  the 
same  privileges.  Some,  indeed,  were  considered  more 
dignified  than  others;  but  this  depended  upon  their 
titles.  That  one  of  the  Onondago  sachems  who  was 
known  as  Tododiiho  ranked  first.  The  Council  was  the 
ruling  body,  and  exercised  legislative,  judicial,  and 
executive  authority.  Besides  this  confederate  position, 
such  sachems  .-tood  at  the  head  of  their  own  nations  also.' 

Next   in    power  were    the    chieis,  whose   office  was 
elective,   but^terminated,  \yith    the   individual.      They 
generally  received  this  distinction  as  a  reward  of  merit, 
and  their  number  was  not  limited.     At  first,  they  w  ere 
merely  the  counselors  and  assistants  of  the   sachems; 
in  the  course  of  time,  however,  their  influence  grew  to 
be  coequal.    l]hc_dudes.QLboth.  sachems  and  ehieia  vvere^ 
altogether  of  a  civil  character.     A  sachem,  going  to  war,  \   i       ,- 
ranked  as  a  common  brave.     Indeed,  there  existed  no!'"'^'''*''"'''^"!^ 
regxii^- ..war-chiefs.     Any  warrior  could  form  and  lead  a  '    ,  /  lA^''^ 

band.     In  case  of  a  general  war,  two  supreme  military  i  " 

chieftains,  whose   office   was    hereditary,    directed    th&J 
campaign. 

Another  characteristic  of  the  Iroquois  polity  was  the\ 
subdmsion  of  their  nations  into  clans  or  familie8~of/ 
which  there  were  eigbt,  known  bj  the  names  of  TurtleA 


>  Mo^gan^Xcasiiq.  of  tjie  Iroquois,  pp.  62,  63.     I  follow  this  author^ 
and  Zeisbergcr  in  my  account  of  the  Iroquois  government.  ^ 


yiyicxj 


78 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


^    /Hear,  Wolf,  Beaver,  Deer,  Snipe^.  Heron,  and   Ilawk. 
I  Each  of  thoso   had  for  its    onihlcm   the   figure  of  the 
I  animal  or  hird  aftei'  which  it  was  designated.     Such  em- 
I  blenis   were   called    talons,  and   were   tattooed   on    the 
/  persons  of  the  clansmen,  or  painted  over  the  doors  of 
their  huts.     The  clans  were  constituted  irrespective  of 
nationality,  and  embraced  such  as  formed  one  family,  in 
whatever  tribe  they  might  be  found.     Hence  two  per- 
sons   of   the   same    clan    never    married.      The    child 
belonged  to  that  of  its  mother. 

As   an  illustration,  we   may  adduce  the  example  of 
Zeisberger   himself.     He  was  adopted   intoj^^lie   nation 


of  the  Onondagas  and  the  clan  of  the  J^^rtle.  Conse- 
quently  all  those  Iroquois  who  were  comprised  in  this 
jclan,  whether  Onondagas,  Cayugas,  Senecas,  Oneidas, 
Tuscaroras,  or  Mohawks,  acknowledged  him  as  their 
kinsman. 

'The  Turtle  family,  or  the  Anowara,  was  the  jnost 
noble  of  the  whole  League;  next  came  the  Ochquari, 
or  clan  of  the  Bear,  and  the  Oquacho,  or  that  of  the 
Wolf.  These  three  were  so  prominent  thiit  Zeisberger 
hardly  recognizes  the  others.' 

Of  the  Iroquois  generally,  it  may  be  said  that  they 
had  grown  to  be,  in  his  time,  a  conglomeration  of 
nationalities,  wholly  diiicrent  from  the  original  Aqua- 
noschioni.  This  was  owing  to  the  adoption  of  prisoners 
taken  in  the  wars  which  each  successive  generation  had 


1  Clark,  in  his  Onondaga,  i.  o2,  includes  the  Benvcr  among  the  supe- 
rior chins,  and  adduces  the  Eiiglo  and  the  Eel,  in  place  of  the  Snipe  and 
the  Hawk. 


Mill  I 


DAVin   ZKISUEROEB. 


79 


nd  Ilawlt 
uro  of  the 
Such  em- 
hI  on  the 
e  doors  of 
ipeetive  of 
}  fiiniily,  ill 
e  two  per- 
Thc    child 

ixaniple  of 

the  ii^aiiaiL 
Le.     Co  rise- 
3ed  ill  this 
3,  Oneidas, 
(1   as  their 

the  most 

Oehquaii, 

hat  of  the 

Zeisberger 

that  they 
eratioti  of 
inal  Aqua- 
f  prisoners 
ration  had 

ong  tlic  supo- 
he  Snipe  and 


been  carrying  on  with  nearly  all  the  tribes  of  tljo  conti- 
nent. If  they  had  not  thus  replenished  their  ranks 
they  would  have  died  out  long  before  he  canio  among 
them. 

The  Delaware  government  bore  some  analogy  to  that> 
of  the  Six  Nations,  but  was  less  of  a  system,  and  lackedj 
a  proper  development. 

Each  of  the  three  tribes,  into  which  this  people  wasY 
divijied,  had  a  national  chief  at  its  head.  The  chief  of 
the  Turtle  tribe  stood  highest,  and  bore  the  title  of 
"King  of  the  Delawares."  It  was  his  duty  to  pre- 
serve the  council-bag,  the  belts  of  peace,  as  well  as  all 
documentary  records  of  Colonial  treaties;  and,  jointly 
with  the  other  two  chiefs,  to  administer  the  foreign' 
afiairs  of  the  nation.  A  general  council  was  sometime^ 
called,  in  which  all  the  three  headmen  and  their  advisers] 
took  part. 

In  addition  to  these  rulers,  however,  there  were  raany^ 
subordiuiltG  chiefs,  who,  togetlier  with  their  counselors,' 
formed   the  tribal   councils.     They  were   civil   officers,?' 
nominally  chosen  by  the  people,  although  the  captains': 
controlled  the  election.     In  case  of  their  decease,  their 
sons  were   ineligible;    but    grandsons,  or    other   male 
relatives,  might  succeed  them.     They  had   the   right, 
also,  to  select  their  own  counselors,  who  were  men  of 
expsrience  that  not   unfrequently  filled,   at   the   same 
time,  the  office  of  captain. 

This  latter  position  was  neither  hereditary  nor 
elective,  but  created  by  the  individual  himself.  His 
first  claim  to  it  generally  rested  upon  a  dream.      In 


80 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


%M  I 


:i;    '^f 


!'    :ii!ii 


the  visions  of  the  night  he  saw  himself  a  captain,  and 
announced  this  as  liis  destiny,  substantiating  it  by  war- 
parties  which  he  led  out  six  or  seven  times  in  suc- 
cession. If  he  came  back  victorious,  with  scalps  or 
prisoners,  and  no  loss  on  his  own  side,  his  claim  was 
allowed.  Ii",  on  the  contrary,  such  expeditions  proved  a 
failure,  he  was  disgraced,  and  had  to  relinquish  all  hope 
of  securing  the  dignity  to  which  he  aspired.  Captains 
were  intrusted  with  the  en+ire  management  of  a  war. 
They  could  not,  however,  conclude  peace.  This  was 
the  province  of  the  chiefs  in  council  assembled.' 

Turning  now  to  aboriginal  life,  we  find  the  Indian, 
in  many  respects,  difterent  from  his  ftithers  in  a  former 
era.  The  influence  of  a  superior  race,  mingling  freely 
with  tne  Iroquois  and  Delawares,  in  particular,  had 
become  apparent.  The  nations  farther  west  remained, 
comparatively,  in  their  primitive  state. 

When  the  Indian  was  not  engaged  in  war,  the  chase 
formed  his  principal  occupation.  It  had  its  regular 
seasons.  The  deer-hunt  began  in  September  or  Octo- 
ber, and  lasted  until  January.  Throughout  the  rest 
of  the  winter,  as  also  in  spring,  the  fox,  the  raccoon, 
beaver,  and  bear  were  sought  for.  In  February,  the 
women  joined  their  Imsbands  in  the  forests,  where 
little  encampments  had  been  provided  for  them,  and 
boiled  maple-sugar.  Meanwhile  the  men  continued  to 
hunt,  and  supplied  them  with  food.     Next  followed  the 


'  This  ticcount  of  the  Delaware  government  is  based  upon  Zeisber- 
ger's  MS.  Ilisfori/  of  the  Indiduts,  whicli  docunu'ut  is  my  ehicf  authority 
for  all  that  follows  in  this  chapter. 


DAVID  ZEISDEROEB. 


81 


ptain,  and 
it  by  war- 
39  in  snc- 

scalps  or 
3] aim  Avas 
s  proved  a 
li  all  hope 

Captains 
of  a  war. 
This  was 

le  Indian, 
I  a  former 
iug  freely 
iular,  had 
remained, 

the  chase 
ts  regular 

or  Octo- 
t  the  rest 
'  raccoon, 
uary,  the 
ts,  where 
hem,  and 
1  tinned  to 
lowed  the 


pon  Zeisber- 
iof  uuthoiitv 


^ 


■•^,.. 


"V> 


■.¥^^'-^  - 


■/-u 


summer  deer-hunt,  in  June  and  July,  when  the  fur  of 
these  animals  assumes  a  reddish  hue,  which  increases 
the  value  of  tlioir  pelts.  And  it  was,  mainly,  for  the 
sake  of  these  that  they  were  chased  during  six  months 
of  the  year.  The  meat  was  often  wasted,  lying  un- 
touched where  the  creature  had  been  flayed^  or  hung 
from  the  branch  of  a  tree,  as  a  gift  to  the  hungry. 
An  expert  hunter  would  shoot,  in  a  single  a  itumn, 
from  lifty  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  head.  That  they 
rapidly  decreased,  even  in  Zeisberger's  time,  was  a  ne-(^;<^ 
cessary  consequence  of  such  wholesale  slaughter,  which 
had  never  been  known  prior  to  the  peltry-trade  with  the'-^;^  ''^  '^ 
white  men. 

Tlie  agility  and  endurance  with  which  the  Indians 
pursued  deer  are  marvelous.  It  was  no  uncommon 
thing  for  d  liunter  to  chase  one  or  more  of  them  a 
distance  of  eight  or  ten  milts,  from  early  moi-ning  to 
evening,  without  getting  a  shot,  until  they  were  run 
down  and  could  2:0  no  farther. 

The  Delawares  and  Iroquois  used  the  rifle,  both  in   /r', 
war  and  on  the  chase;   for  small  game,  however,  the( 
bow  and  arrow  were  still  in  vogue.     Western  nationsj 
employed  ordinary  shot-guns. 

There  existed  well-defined  laws  of  the  chase. 
Whenever  several  hunters  went  out  in  company,  thel'"'*^'' 
oldest,  especially  if  he  was  a  counselor,  took  the 
command,  and  it  was  deemed  disgraceful  to  desert 
such  a  party,  and  hunt  independently  of  the  rest. 
In  case  a  deer  was  wounded  by  one,  and  afterward 
killed  or  found   dead  by  another,  the  skin   belonged 


^.. 


'4- 


/r> 


"ry 


■  ''1... 


■PI! 


''  Ik 


f  'If 

if 


1,:    '■ 


I    II 


I 


mm 


m' 


82 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


*'      4/' 


/■ 


v:/ 


■"V 


/' 


■  * 


!:li 


1i 


/to  the  first;  the  meat,  or  half  the  meat,  to  the  second. 

I  If  several    discharged    their    rifles    siiiiultaneonsly  at 

the  same  deer,  so  that  it  was  impossible  to  determine 

I  whose  bullet  brought  it  down,  the  oldest  received  the 

skin,  whether  ho  had  or  had  not  fired,  but  the  meat 

jwas  divided  among  all.     Aged   men   accompanying  a 

/     iparty  must  be  plentifully  supplied  by  the  young  both 

iwith  pelts  and  meat. 

'''  Charms,  carried   in   the   pouch,  in  order  to  make  a 
(hunt   successful,  were    in    universal    use.      They  were 
!  for   the   most  part   prepared,  by  superannuated   hunt- 
I  ers,  of  roots,  herbs,  or  seeds,  and  sold  at  high  prices. 
In    some    cases    they   were    administered    as    emetics. 
,  Zeisberger   mentions  an   instance  of  a  Delaware   who 
j  persistently   employed  such   a  charm  for  three  weeks, 
every  alternate  day,  submitting  to  all  its  painful  con- 
sequences, and  yet  did  not  shoot  a  single  deer  in  that 
whole  time. 

A   protracted    hunt   was    inaugurated    by    a    feast, 
given  to  the  old  men  of  the  village,  and  bearing  the 
character   of  a   sacrifice,   inasmuch   as   the    guests   in- 
voked the   aid  of   the  good   spirits   on    the    hunter's 
behalf, 
lu  addition  to  hunting,  the  men  built  huts  and  lent  9l_ 
.  .hand  in  laying  out  plantations.     All  other  work  fell  to 
\\i^  '\     J    (the  share  of  the  women,  who  tilled  the  around,  gathered 
^>         If       jthe  harvest,  collected  fuel,  and  cooked.     Their  staples 
-)        ,>'    /^     were   maize,   pumpkins,   potatoes,   and  beans,  as  also 
fj/"   /         several  other  vegetables  introduced  from  the  settlements, 
W    ^  such  as  turnips  and  cabbage 


y 


^Ai' 


M 


le  second, 
eonsly  at 
letermiiie 
ieived  the 
the  moat 
)aiiying  a 
»ung  both 

o  make  a 
'hey  were 
ted  hunt- 
gh  prices. 
;  emetics. 
ware  who 
ce  weeks, 
tinful  Con- 
or in  that 

a    least, 
aring  the 
ffuests   in- 
hunter's 

and  lent  a_ 
)rk  fell  to 
,  gathered 
oir  staples 
,  as  also 
ttlcments, 


■  oh  old 


DAVID   ZEISBERGER.  83 

id  garments  of  these  tribes 


\h 


en  an  go. 


utcnsi 
had  undergone  a  grea 
pot^  of  primitive  times,  iron  or  copper  vessels  were  uni-  ■ 
vcrsal;   the  turkey-feather  blanket  had  given  place  to 
the  woolen  ;  other  articles  of  dress  were  mostly  made  of 
stuffs  procured  from  the  traders;  and  the  wiuiipuriicon-. 
sisted  almost  exclusively  of  bcadj. 

Indian  towns  were  small,  irregular  clusters  of  huts  on  i 
a  creek  or  river.  There  was  a  marked  difference  be-\ 
tween  the  houses  of  the  Iroquois  and  those  of  the  Dola-j 
wares. 

The  former  were  constructed  of  bark,  with  arched 
roofs,  and  often  of  great  length,  so  as  to  accommodate 
from  two  to  four  fiimilies,  to  each  of  which  was  assigned 
one  of  the  fires  that  were  kindled  on  the  ground  in  a 
line  down  the  middle  of  the  house.     Running  along  the 
entire  crown  of  the  roof  was  an  aperture,  through  which, 
the  smoke  escaped  and  the  light  came  in.     Under  the^ 
roof  poles  were  fastened,  laden  with  haunches  of  yen--, 
ison,  ears  of  corn,  and  other  stores.* 

Among  the  Delawares  each  family  had  a  house  of"] 
its  own,  which  was  of  much  smaller  dimensions,  with  , 


a  peaked  roof,  and  a  frame  of  posts  or  boards  covered 


'  yuch  houses  wore  modclod  iiftcr  those  rernarkablo  structures  which 
tho  Jesuits  found  ninoiig  the  Hurons  sind  Iroquois  in  the  soveuteciitli  cnn-  ■ 
tury,  and  some  of  which  wore  said  to  liavo  been  between  two  hundred 
and  three  hundred  feet  in  length,  or  oven  longer,  accommodating  the 
population  of  an  entire  village.     Thoy  wore  made  of  posts  and  poles,  or 
of  saplings,  planted  in  rows,  covered  with  bark,  and  had  two  tiers  of  ,; 
platforms  stretching  through  the  interior  on  both  sides,  with  a  line  of  ? 
fires  in  the  open  space  between  them.  ~ 


S^ 


i 


/ 


"-v/ 


x 


t 


ft   s 


|i!li|i 


s>- 


h      ' 


84 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


with  bark.  A  hole  in  the  top  gave  exit  to  the  smoke, 
aiul  small  openings  in  the  sides,  with  sliding  shutters, 
aftbrded  light.  Not  a  few,  however,  were  well-con- 
structed log-cabins,  such  as  formed  the  liomesteads  of 
the  borderers,  who  were  occasionally'  hired  to  build 
them. 

The  center  of  attraction  in  the  dwellings  of  both  these 
nations  was  the  lire,  surrounded  by  a  kind  of  bunk,  that 
served  as  a  seat  and  table  in  the  daytime  and  as  a  bed 
jat  night.  It  was  covered  with  deer  and  bear  skins,  or 
with  mats  of  rushes,  plaited  and  skillfully  painted  by 
the  W'Omen.  Such  mats  were  also  fastened  to  the  sides 
of  the  house,  in  order  to  beautify  it  and  keep  out  the 
cold  in  winter. 

Let  us  look  in  upon  an  Indian  family.  The  husband 
is  lying  in  his  bunk,  the  personilication  of  indolence, 
sleeping  or  smoking,  his  beardless  face,  his  broad  chest, 
sinewy  arms,  and  supple  legs  tattooed  with  curious 
figures ;  his  head  is  bald,  excepting  Ji  circle  ..of  hair  oii_ 
its  crown,  and  two  twists  hanging  down  on  either  side, 
tricked  out  with  strings  of  beads,  or  brass  and  silver  orna- 
ments. Similar  trinkets  dangle  from  liis  ears  and  nose. 
A  small  blanket,  known  as  a  match-coat,  covers  his 
shoulders,  and  the  breech-cloth  his  middle.  His  feet 
are  cased  in  buckskin  moccasins,  decorated  with  beads 
and  embroidery. 

His  wife  is  engaged  in  :■'>  ^kinz.  t*?  vhich  she  attends 
twice  a  day;  lei  long  '-h  "k  Lau,  pfofusely  anointed 
with  bear's  grease,  hangs  dc  n  to  the  hips,  and  is 
wrapped  in  cloth,  gay  with  Tri/nous  and  silver  buckles. 


i 


DAVID   ZEISBERGER. 


85 


be  smoke, 
1  sliuttors, 

well-con- 
ostetuls  of 

to   build 

both  these 
bunk,  that 
I  as  a  bed 
■  skins,  or 
)aiiitcd  by 
0  the  sides 
3p  out  the 

10  husband 
indolence, 
oad  chest, 
th  curious 
of  hair  oii_ 
ither  side, 
silver  orna- 
and  nose, 
covers  his 
His  feet 
vith  beads 

;he  attends 
anointed 
[)s,  and  is 
sr  buckles, 


m 


Another  piece  of  cloth,  laid  double,  and  reaching  below 
her  knees,  is  bound  round  her  waist,  like  a  petticoat, 
over  which  foils  a  white  shirt  daubed  with  red  paint,  or; 
a  shirt  of  colored  cotton.  Her  moccasins  are  embroid- 
ered even  more  richly  than  her  husband's.  She  is  boil- 
ing venison,  or  some  other  meat,  along  with  maize, 
taking  pains  to  let  the  former  be  so  well  done  that 
it  falls  to  pieces  —  for  half-cooked  food,  whether  flesh 
or  fish,  is  deemed  an  abomination — and  occasionally 
looking  after  her  corn-bread,  which  is  baking  in  the 
ashes. 

If  her  supply  of  meat  is  exhausted,  she  serves  up  corn, 
which  she  can  prepare  in  twelve  dift'erent  ways,  or  mush, 
milk,  and  butter;  or  she  gives  her  husban.  a  hint  that 
fresh  meat  would  be  acceptable,  whereupon  he  rouses 
himself  and  goes  out  to  hunt.  Returning  with  game, 
he  throws  it  down  outside  of  the  hut  at  the  door,  and 
re-enters  in  silence.  This  game  belongs  to  the  woman, 
who  brings  it  in  and  prepares  a  plentiful  meal,  after 
having  sent  choice  parts  of  it  to  her  neighbors. 

In  one  corner  of  the  house  stands  a  mortar,  cut  out 
of  the  tr.aik  of  a  tree.  A  girl,  with  nothing  on  her 
person  but  a  short  skirt,  is  using  it  to  pound  corn; 
while  several  boys  are  idling  around,  some  nude, 
others  wearing  a  flap  of  buckskin  over  the  groin,  at- 
tached to  a  leathern  strap  that  passes  across  their 
shoulders.  In  anothti-  corner,  upon  a  peg,  hangs  a 
primitive  cradle,  consisting  of  a  board  coverea  with 
moss  and  surmounted  by  arched  strips  of  wood,  beneath 
which  an   infant  is    imprisoned,  wrapped   in    furs   or 


\- 


\ 


I  > 


/- 


\ 


86 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


cloth.'     Several  lean,  wolfish  clogs  are  stretched  around 
the  fire. 

The  boys  of  such  a  fiimily  are  left  to  educate  them- 
selves, receiving  instruction  in  regard  to  the  chase  only. 
They  do  what  they  please;  and  punishment  even  for 
the  worst  ofi:buses  is  rarely  inflicted.  Their  parents 
fear  that  they  might  avenge  themselves  when  they  aro 
grown.  When  they  do  venture  to  correct  them,  tlio 
chastisement  is  nothing  more  than  a  dash  of  cold  water 
in  the  face.  Girls  arc  trained  to  the  various  duties 
of  their  slavish  life,  as  also  to  nuike  pouches  and 
girdles. 

Such  girdles  or  bands  were  used  for  carrying  burdens. 
They  were  woven  of  wild  flax,  three  fingers  in  breadth, 
and  ornamented  with  symbols  and  figures.  Those  for 
the  women  were  fostened  round  their  heads,  witli 
another  band  suspended  behind.  To  this  was  attached 
the  load,  the  strain  of  which,  consequently,  was  thrown 
upon  their  foreheads,  .although  tlie  load  itself  rested 
on  their  backs.  They  could  easily  cany  a  hundred- 
weiii'lit.  The  men  secured  their  burdens  with  the  band 
around  the  breast,  and  were  accustomed,  in  this  way, 
to  bring  the  unflayed  carcass  of  a  deer,  weighing  per- 
haps one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  from  the  forest  to 
their  towns. 

But  see!    the  blanket  or  sheet  of  bark  which  covers 
the  d(/or  is  lifted,  and  visitors  enter.^     They  grasp  the 


'  Owing  to  tlio  many  nctidonts  which  thi?  mode;  of  cradling  cliildren 
produced,  it  wai'  given  tip  more  and  more  iti  Zei^borgor's  tim(>. 

■'  riiis  was  of  very  frequent  occuireneo ;  for,  in  spito  of  their  ordinary 


.0 


u 


3d  around 

ite  them- 
lase  only, 
oven  for 
I'  parents 
they  aro 
hem,  the 
old  water 
us  duties 
dies  and 

burdens, 
breadth. 
rho.se  tor 
ds,  with 
attached 
3  thrown 
if  rested 
hundrad- 
tlie  band 
his  way, 
ling  per- 
forest  to 

d)  covers 
rasp  the 

g  children 

0. 

r  ordinarv 


'J 


0    /- 


Cxi 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


87 


hands  of  their  friends,  addressing  each  one  by  the  title 

station  confers.     After  having 


wliich  sex,   or   age,  or 


»"-' 


seated  themselves,  they  perhaps  renew  this  ceremonial 
a  second  time,  in  all  its  details.  Meanwhile  the  house- 
wife hastens  to  prepare  a  kettle  of  food,  which  she 
places  before  them,  giving  them  bowls  made  of  wood, 
or  of  the  excrescences  of  trees,  and  large  spoons  of  the 
same  material.  When  they  have  satisfied  their  hunger, 
they  hand  the  bowls  and  spoons  to  the  family,  which 
proceeds  to  finish  the  meal. 

Such  a  repast  would  not  have  been  appetizing  to  a 
white  man,  other  than  a  missionary  or  trader,  whose 
stomachs  are  hardened.  The  cooking  utensils,  the  bowls 
and  spoons,  are  seldom  washed,  except  by  the  tongues 
of  dogs;  and,  not  unfrequently,  there  is  but  one  spoon 
for  the  whole  ^-onipany.  The  hut  itsel^'  is  filthy  in  the 
extreme,  infested  with  fleas,  and  half-ti''c-d  with  smoke. 
Of  all  this  the  natives  are  not  conscious,  but  enjoy 
the  visit.  A  pouch  of  otter  or  weaver  «kJ)],  richly 
ornamented  with  beads,  and  containing  ajnijxture  of 
t^)baceo  and  sumach,  is  brought  out;  the  pipes  are 
tilled  and  lighted;  and  the  circle  begins  a  chat  upon  tho 
latest  news  of  the  village  or  the  tribe,  upon  political 
aft'airs,  hunting,  and  other  similar  topics.  Intelligence 
known  to  be  fiilso,  or  tho  most  improbable  adventures, 
are  rehearsed,  exciting  peals  of  laughter,  but  listened  to 
without  any  other  interruption.     And,  while  jokes  are 


reserve,  iind  the  haughty  iinpiissiveiiess  which  they  often  assumed,  the 
Indians  were  exceedingly  fond  of  society.  Tlie  houses  of  tho  chiefs, 
in  iuirticuUir,  wero  visited,  where  tho  latest  news  might  bo  lieard. 


,y. 


n,- 


1!!^     :l 


88 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


( 


y 


/ 


A- 


v/ 


I 

/ 


passed,  they  are  never  offensive.     Throughout  the  visit 
a  courtesy  prevails  which  is  astonishing. 

When  the  conversation  begins  to  flag,  the  host 
;  produces  a  pack  of  cards,  and  dice  made  of  the  pits 
of  wild  pkuns.  Both  are  recolvod  with  silent  satis- 
faction. Some  betake  themselves  to  ii  giime  ol'  (uirds, 
taught  them  by  the  traders  from  whom  tliny  wul'o 
purchased;  while  others  put  tin;  dice  in  a  bowl,  which 
they  lift  up  and  then  strike  against  the  ground,  eui'li,  in 
turn,  staking  some  article  of  value  upon  the  fall  of  llio 
dice.  This  latter  is  a  national  and  favorite  game  that 
excites  the  deepest  interest,  and  is  often  protracted  for 
an  entire  day.' 

Weary  of  such  in-door  amusements,  the  visitors  leave, 
and,  followed  by  their  host,  join  the  other  men  of  the 
village,  who  have  assembled  for  more  athletic  sports. 
The  town  is  soon  full  of  life.  One  party  plays  nine- 
pins, another  ball ;  here  two  young  men  begin  to 
wrestle, — there  several  try  their  strength  in  lilting 
boulders,  or  in  throwing  stones;  while  the  boys  bring 
out  their  bows  and  arrows  to  shoot  at  a  mark. 

Meantime  the  women  gather  in  groups  and  look  on, 
or,  more  frequently,  talk  of  their  plantations  and  house- 


1  Two  towns  sometimes  pluyed  to£;etliei'.  Zeisbcrgor  spoiiks  of  a  game 
of  this  kind  wliich  he  witncs.sed  iiniung  the  Iroquoi.-^,  and  whicli  lasted 
eight  days.  The  inhal)itants  met  daily,  and  each  one  dumprd  the  bowl 
once.  Thi'n  they  separated  until  the  next  day.  The  evenings  were 
devoted,  in  the  respective  villages,  to  saeriiiees  and  dancing.  At  the 
former  an  Indian  walked  around  a  fire,  chanting  incantations  and 
strewing  tobacco  into  the  flames.  The  stakes  were  blankets,  cloth, 
shirts,  linen,  and  other  valuable  wares,  which  were  carried  oft",  on  the 
eighth  day,  by  the  winning  party. 


'If 


■1 


'  the  visit 

the  host 
the  pits 
ent  satis- 
ol'  I'lirds, 
my  worn 
v],  whicli 

I  oiu'li,  in 
ill  ol'  tlin 
line  that 
acted  for 

'I's  leave, 

II  of  the 
J  sports. 
ys  nine- 
•egiii  to 
^  lifting 
8  brina; 

ook  on, 
1  house- 


of  a  gurno 
ich  la.stud 
tlio  bowl 
ngs  wore 
At  tho 
ions  and 
ts,  cloth, 
H",  on  tho 


:-^< 


/  ry^ 


>     ,'■ 


DAVID   ZEISBERGER. 


89 


hold  work,  or  gossip  and  spread  the  plumpest  lies.' 
They  are  not  as  cautious  as  the  men,  and  fall  to  quar- 
reling, bandying  sharp  words,  or  calhng  one  another 
by  the  names  of  certain  parts  of  the  human  body 
as  the  most  opprobrious  epithets  which  they  can  em- 
ploy. 

While  all  this  is  going  on,  we  will  inspect  tho 
environs  of  the  village.  Pigs,  horses  with  bells 
around  their  necks,  and  a  few  cows,  avu  roaming 
through  tlio  woods.^  This  rouncl  ]\u\o,  In  tlie  earth, 
lined  and  covt  ed  with  dry  grass,  ('(i|iHliti|ln«  ft  mnga- 
ziue  where  some  fmnily  lias  stored  its  hai'vest,  t)je 
knowl(idge  of  which  will  be  careiully  kepi  U'oUi  \\\ti 
other  iidiabitants;  that  Isnliilnd  liul  nnmng  III/)  tl'efiS  JS 
a  rum-shop,  in  which  old  women  retail  lirpior  at  enor- 
mous prices;  and  the  singular  structure  near  it  nuiy  bo 
cidled  a  va[)or  bath-house,  whither  the  Indians  repair 
three  or  four  times  a  week,  when  fatigued  or  unwell,/ 
in   order  to  perspire.'^     Posts   appear  in  the  distance. 


1  Thn  men,  says  Zcisbcrgcr,  cntertaini'd  tho  most  sovereign  contempt  • 
for  thd  voraeity  of  the  women.  Any  news  brouglit  by  a  woman  was  : 
deemed  false  until  it  had  been  corroborated  through  other  sources. 

2  Horses,  which  were  never  used  for  agricultural  purposes,  belonged 
to  tho  men,  cows  to  the  women.  Cows  were  not  common;  but  tho 
better  classes  of  natives  began  to  keep  them  in  Zeisbergor's  time,  milk 
and  butter  being  deemed  great  lu.vuries 

'  Sucli  bath-houses  consisted  of  wooden  ovenb  covered  with  earth,  \ 
and  liaving,  ai  one  end,  a  small  oriflco,  tiirough  wliicli  the  natives  crept  \ 
in,  and  squatted  iietween  stones  that  had  been  previously  heated  red  \ 
hot  in  a  Are  built  at  the  opening.  After  a  time  they  came  out  and  \ 
cooled  themselves  ;  then  re-entered,  and  perspired  anew.  This  was  ' 
repeated  three  or  four  times.  The  bath-houses  of  tho  women  were  ■ 
apart  from  those  of  tho  men. 


1 


1  i 


iii 


'  i  1 


11! 


90 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


They  mark  a  burial-place.  At  the  foot  of  each  is  a 
grave.  If  the  post  be  plain  and  unadorned,  it  is  the 
memorial  of  a  cliiof;  if  painted  red,  with  warlike 
devices,  it  tells  of  the  deeds  and  death  of  a  captain ; 
if  a  small  turtle  'lell  is  suspended  from  it,  it  designates 
the  tomb  of  a  u  ^ctor. 

Returning  to  the  village,  let  us  again  visit  the  same 
house  upon  which  we  looked  in  before. 

It  is  evening.  The  husband  paints  his  face  and 
entire  head  with  vermilion,  puts  on  a  shirt  over  his 
breech-cloth,  and  cloth  loLiglns  stretching  above  the 
knee,  ornamented  along  the  seams  with  ribbons  and 
white  beads ;  exchanges  his  match-coat  for  a  stroud, 
and  fastens  a  plume  to  the  crown  of  his  head.  Ilis 
wife  tinges  her  cheeks,  eyebrows,  and  other  parts  of 
her  face  with  various  colors,  but  chiefly  with  red; 
chasps  silver  bracelets  on  her  arms;  winds  strings  of 
wampum  or  of  beads  around  her  neck  ;  twists  silver 
buckles  in  her  hair,  and  pins  them  to  the  bosom  of  her 
shirt,  or  binds  a  girdle,  glittering  with  such  trinkets, 
around  her  forehead ;  decorates  her  petticoat  with 
ribbons,  and  throws  a  stroud,  similarl}'  garnished, 
about  her  shoulders.  They  are  now  both  in  full 
dress,  and  ready  for  the  dance,  which  is  to  take  place 
that  night  in  their  lodge,  as  it  does  every  night  in 
some  hut,  except  when  the  young  men  are  absent 
hunting. 

It  is  protracted  to  a  late  hour.  The  men,  following  a 
leader,  and  singing  discordantly,  dance  in  a  circle  around 
the  fire,  contorting  their  bodies  in  the  most  unnatural 


i:-i«^ 


DAVID   ZEISDERGER. 


91 


each  is  a 
,  it  is  the 
h  warlike 
I  captain; 
designates 

the  same 

face   ami 

over   his 

ibovo   the 

bons  and 

a  strouu, 
cad.     His 

parts  of 
vith  red; 
itrjmjs  of 
sts  sllvei' 
'111  of  her 

trinkets, 
oat  with 
arnislied, 
in  full 
ke  place 
night  in 
3   absent 


ways,  assuming  ridiculous  attitudes,  now  leaping  high 
and  stumping  violently  upon  the  ground,  again  squalling 
with  tlieir  necks  stretched  out  and  faces  close  together 
•)Vor  the  flames.  The  women  come  next,  in  anothei 
circle,  but  with  u  gentle  motion,  swaying  to  and  fro,  and 
demean  themselves  as  though  they  were  patterns  of 
niodesty,  neither  laughing  nor  talking,  but  grave  and 
silent,  exchanging  never  a  word  with  the  men.  An 
Indian  beats  the  time  on  a  sort  oi'  drum ;  and,  when 
one  dance  is  ended,  continues  singing  until  another 
opens. 

This  is  a  picture  of  the  home-life  of  the  natives  as 
seen  by  Zeisberger.  It  would,  however,  be  incomplete 
if  we  failed  to  give  it  that  finishing  touch  which  will 
mar  what  may,  possibly,  have  seemed  attractive.  The 
rum-shop  of  an  Indian  village  was  its  bane  and  curse.  ^' 
Drunkenness  prevailed  to  a  fearful  extent,  and  mani- 
fested itself  in  outrageous  forms.  It  was  a  common 
occurrence  to  see  almost  the  entire  population  in  a  state 
of  wild  intoxication,  brawling,  fighting,  and  giving  full 
sway  to  the  worst  propensities  of  their  untamed  nature. 
At  such  times  the  Indians  were  little  better  than  fiends, 
and  it  is  not  an  extravagance  to  say  that  their  towns 
became  outlets  of  hell. 

Nor  did   their    general    character  present   many  re- 
deeming  traits.     It   is   true,  the  pen    of  romance   has} 
made  heroes  of  their  warriors,  and  crowned  their  race) 
with  exalted  virtues.     But  this  is  more  than  an  error. 
It  is  absurd.     The  aborigines  of  the  last  century  could 
not  rightfu'     claim  such  a  position  in  a  single  particular.  ^ 


< 


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IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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« 6"     

► 

Photographic 

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CorpoFdlion 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  MS80 

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92 


~ 

LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


Morally  considered,  they  belonged  to  the  most  ordinary 
and  the  vilest  of  savages.  Upon  this  point  Zeisberger's 
testimony  is  as  clear  as  it  must  be  deemed  conclusive. 

He  loved  the  Indians.  He  spent  his  life  in  doing 
them  good.  It  is  impossible  to  suppose  that  he  would 
have  depicted  their  character  in  darker  colors  than 
truth  warranted.  And  yet,  instead  of  clothing  it  with 
those  illustrious  features  which  other  writers  have  por- 
trayed, he  represents  it  as  low  and  detestable.  Lying, 
cheating,  and  theft  were  universal.  The  marriage  re- 
lation was  of  the  lowest  kind.  Husbands  forsook  their 
wives  whenever  they  pleased.  To  grow  weary  of  a 
woman  was  a  sufficient  cause  of  desertion.  Fornication 
and  adultery  prevailed.  The  ordinary  state  of  a  ma- 
jority of  both  sexes  was  unchastity.  Other  vices,  of 
tho  most  abominable  kind,  were  common.  Moreover, 
while  the  Indians  continued  to  practice  hospitality,  as  in 
the  primitive  times  of  their  history,  and  wore  often 
steadfast  friends,  their  vindictiveness  knew  no  bounds, 
and  they  would  spend  years  in  seeking  opportunities 
to  avenge  an  injury.  And  although  they  showed  them- 
selves to  be  brave  warriors,  when  put  to  the  test,  their 
ordinary  mode  of  lighting  was  cowardly  in  the  extreme.' 

The  false  estimate  which  has  been  made  of  the  abo- 
rigines of  the  last  century,  arose  from  their  aptitude  to 
dissemble  and  their  eagerness  for  praise.     Zeisberger 


,  ■<  The  utter  contempt  with  which  Zeisberger,  in  his  MS.  History 
\ speaks  of  the  eowardico  of  the  Indians,  doubtlessly  uroso  from  the  eon- 
•i  stant  massacres  of  women  and  children,  along  the  Western  frontier  dur- 
ling  the  revolutionary  war,  in  the  midst  of  which  he  wrote  that  work. 


/ 


/  ■ 


\7 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


93 


V 


has  laid  this  bare  by  a  single  pithy  sentence.  "  They 
love  tO  be  deemed  honest  and  good,"  he  writes,  "  even 
when  detected  in  the  worst  of  villainies."  In  almost 
every  respect,  therefore,  they  were  double-faced  and 
doublo-licartcd ;  one  character  they  assumed  for  show, 
the  other  was  theirs  in  reality.  This  misled  the  casual 
observer.  Zeisberger,  however,  not  only  saw  them  in 
all  their  moral  deformity  as  savages,  but  was  made  the 
confidant  of  his  numerous  converts,  and  listened  to  con- 
fessions, even  from  the  lips  of  sorcerers,  such  as  other 
white  men  raiely  heard. 

Among  such  a  race  the  triumphs  of  the  Cross  were^ 
the  more  wonderful.     The  novelist  may  regret  to  see  | 
"the  noble  red  men"  reduced  to  their  savage  and  proper 
level;    but  the  Christian  rejoices  that,  in  the  case  of 
this  nation  too,  the  Gospel  proved  to  be  the  power  of 
God. 

The  popular  notion  that  the  Indians  originally  be- \ 
licved  in  one  Great  and  Almighty  Spirit  is  incorrect. 
Such  a  belief  grew  into  existence  only  after  they  had 
been  brought  in  contact  with  the  white  race.  This  is 
shown  by  the  earliest  records,  as  well  as  by  the  Rela- 
tions of  the  Jesuit  Fathers.  ifTot^  a^  single  aboriginal 
language  contained  a  word  to  express  the  idea  of  God. 
The  missionaries  of  the  last  century  were  deceived  by 
the  fact  that  they  everywhere  met  with  this  doctrine. 
Even  Zeisberger  was  misled.*     They  did  not  make  suf- 


1  Loskiel,  on  tho  contrary,  instructod,  wiUiout  doubt,  in  this  p.irticn- 
Inr,  by  Bishop  Spungcnborg,  sopnif?  to  havo  had  a.i  intimation  of  the  true 
Ftato  of  tho  case.     lie  says :  "As  tho  Europea'i'i  have  lived  so  lo  ,g,  both 


94 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


ficient  allowance  for  the  readiness  with  Avhicli  the  na- 
tivea  appropriated  religious  ideas  learned  from  the  Euro- 
peans, and.  moulded  them  to  salt  their  own  darkened 
understanding.  And  yet  the  scheme  of  the  so-called 
preachers  alibrded  a  notable  illustration,  for  it  was  sub- 
stantially a  parody  of  the  Gospel,^ 

The  religion  of  the  primitive  Indians  was,  ii\  part, 
fetichism,  and,  in  part,  a  vague  belief  in  higher  deities, 
ri.sing,  in  some  instances,  to  a  Being  exalted  above  all 
the  rest,  yet  always  in  connection  with  space  and  time, 
or  with  bodily  shape.  It  embraced,  however,  the  germs 
of  the  system  which  the  Moravian  missionaries  found 
jirevalent. 

Of  this  latter  superstition  we  here  present  short  out- 
lines, that  will  be  tilled  up  in  the  course  of  our  narra- 
tive. 

The  Great  Spirit,  or  God,  created  the  heavens  and  the 
earth,  together  with  all  beings  and  things  that  are  in 
them.  This  Spirit  is  good,  gracious,  and  omnipotent. 
Hence  men  must  bring  him  sacrifices,  not  directly  but 
through  the  agency  of  lesser  spirits  and  subordinate 
gods,  called  manitous.  These  are  to  be  found  every- 
where in  all  material  things,  whether  animate  or  inani- 
mate, in  birds,  beasts,  and  fishes,  in  the  sun  and  the 
moon,  in  lakes  and  water-falls,  in  the  rocky  clift'  and  the 
dismal  cavern,  in  the  very  stones  of  the  earth.     Each 


in  their  ncighljorhood  unci  iimong  them,  it  may  rensonnbly  be  supposed 
that  the  present  religious  notions  of  the  Indians  dift'er  in  many  rc.s])ects 
from  tliose  of  their  forefathers." — LoskieVs  Uistonj  of  the  Indian  Mis- 
sion, Part  i.  p.  o3. 

'  For  iin  account  -'»f  these  preachers,  consult  chapter  xiv. 


-i— 1,   ■'■■■ 


If        ifMI  1^. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGEB. 


95 


Indian,  with  rare  and  most  unhappy  exceptions,  has  a 
tuteUiry  nianitou,  revealed  to  him  in  a  dream,  and  car- 
ries about  his  person  the  animal  or  a  part  of  the  animal 
forminf  it,  or  some  other  emblem  of  its  existence.  In 
other  respects,  too,  dreams  constitute  a  principal  part  of 
his  religio!  He  has  implicit  faith  in  what  they  tell  hira 
or  in  what  h    imagines  them  to  prognosticate. 

The  devil  is  a  wicked  spirit,  working  evil,  but  chiefly 
among  white  men.  Some  say  that  he  does  not  inolesi, 
Indians  at  all.  Subordinate  spirits  of  evil,  however, 
abound,  and  tempt  them  to  sin.  Their  idea  of  hell  is 
expressed  by  its  Delaware  name,  machtand  owinenk,  which  \ 
means  "•  to  bo  with  the  devil." 

They  believe  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  which  the  ^ 
Delawares  call  wtellcnapcwoagan :  that  is,  "  the  substance  ) 
of  man;"    and,  also,  wtschitschank^  signifying  "spirit."^ 
The  souls  of  good  men  go  to  a  place  of  happiness  after  ^ 
death ;  the  souls  of  the  wicked  wander  about  in  great 
misery.     God,  add  some,  permits  the  former,  if  they 
prefer  it,  to  migrate  back  to  earth  and  to  bo  born  a 
second  time  in  the  person  of  a  child. 


In  addition  to  five  great  sacrificial  feasts,  which  will ) 


be  described  in  another  connection,  they  have  numerous 
secondary  and  private  sacrifices.  A  solitary  hunter,  for 
example,  cuts  up  an  animal  in  the  depths  of  the  forest, 
and  lets  the  birds  of  prej?  feast  on  its  flesh,  while  he 
stands  behind  a  tree  and  watches  them.  The  friends  of 
the  dead  bring  meat  and  drink  offerings  to  their  manes. 
The  growing  corn  is  propitiated  with  oblations  of  bear's 
meat,  and  the  bear  with  ears  of  corn.     The  fish  receive 


mj 


mm 


ftii 


l:B:i'  :,    :      j 


mi 


'i'Xi 


■■4\ 


f 


96 


LIFE  AVD   TIMES  OF 


small  cakes,  and,  to  appease  the  screeching  niglit-owl, 
tobacco  is  cast   into   the   camp-fire.     Indeed,   there   is 

I  scarcely  an  occasion  on  which  they  do  not  sacrifice,  or 
a  thing  that  they  do  not  thus  honor. 

Their  only  idol  was  called,  in  Delaware,  WsinkhoaUcan. 

'It  was  the  fiijure  of  a  miniature  human  head  carved  of 

(wood  and  carried  about  their  persons,  or  cut,  life-size, 

lout  of  a  post,  and  set  up  in  the  middl-s  of  the  house 

'where  they  sacrificed. 

The  Delaw.nres  and  Iroquois,  particularly  the  latter, 
were  natrye  orators,  and  their  frequent  councils  gave 
them  every  opportunity  to  practice  this  art.  Their 
speeches,  which  they  delivered  in  a  loud  tone  of  voice, 
with  much  gravity  of  manner  and  man}-  gesticulations, 
were  often  instinct  with  beautiful  imagery.  They  could 
be  so  clear  upon  any  point  as  to  make  it  transparent,  or, 
if  they  chose,  so  ambiguous  that  it  became  almost  unin- 
telligible. Hence  their  messages  required  the  closest 
attention,  and  every  word  must  be  carefully  weighed. 

fin  regard  to  the  things  of  common  life,  their  langdages 
were  exceedingly  rich.     Thus  the  Delawares  had  ten  dif- 
H  ferent  names  for  a  bear,  according  to  its  age  or  s^x.    As 

^  touching  religious  ideas,  on  the  contrary,  there  prevailed 
a  dearth  of  words.  "Nevertheless,"  says  Zeisberger, 
"  the  more  the  Gospel  spreads  the  more  copious  their 
language  becomes.  New  words  grow  into  use  in  exact 
proportion  to  the  growth  of  the  converts  in  the  knowl- 
edge of  the  Word  of  God  and  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ" 


EliiV.^ 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


97 


CHAPTER    V. 

MISSIONARY  OPERATIONS  AMONG  THE  INDIANS  PREVIOUS  TO 
ZEISBFRGER'S  TIMES.— 1549-1745. 

CL  Istian  Henry  Rauch  begins  a  Mission  among  the  Mohicans  of  New 
York. — The  Jesuit  Missions  and  the  work  of  the  Puritans  in  the 
seventeenth  century. — Labors  among  the  Indians  in  the  first  hi.lf 
of  the  eighteenth  century. — Difficulties  and  success  of  Rauch's 
enterprise. — Baptism  of  the  first  converts. — Count  Zinzendorf  visits 
the  Indian  countrj'. — Organizes  a  church  at  Shekomcko. — Zinzen- 
dorf in  the  valley  of  Wyoming. — Progress  of  the  Mission  in  New 
York. — It  extends  to  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts. — Church-edifice 
built  at  Shekomeko. — Persecution  of  the  missionaries. — They  are 
banished  from  New  York  by  Act  of  the  Legislature. 

Zeisberger  was  not  the  first  messenger  of  the  Gospel 
from  the  Moravian  Church  to  the  Indians  of  I^ew  York 
and  Pennsylvania.  Three  years  before  he  devoted 
himself  to  the  work  of  a  missionary,  when  there  was 
as  yet  no  settlement  of  the  United  Brethren  in  any  of 
the  Northern  Colonies,  and  a  band  of  fugitives,  from 
the  scat  of  war  in  Georgia,  constituted  the  whole  body 
of  that  people  in  the  country,  a  lone  preacher  landed  at 
New  York  (July  16, 1740),  sent  from  Europe  to  tell  the 
aborigines  the  story  of  redeeming  love.  Hi^  name  was. 
Christian  Henry  Rauch.* 


1  Born  July  5,  1718,  at  Bernburg,  in  the  Principality  of  Anhalt 
After  serving  the  Church  in  various  capacities  in  America,  bo  went  to 
Jamaica,  as  a  missionary  among  the  negroes,  where  be  died  November 
11,  17G3. 

.  7 


Ill^'- 


!f 


98 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


Meetiiifr  with  two  Mohicans,  Shabash  and  Wasama- 
pah,'  from  Shekomeko,  he  offered  to  become  the  teacher 
of  their  tribe.  In  the  fleeting  seasons  of  soberness 
which  dawned  on  their  muddled  minds,  they  accepted 
the  ofl'er;  but  rejected  it  again,  as  often  as  they  were 
intoxicated;  and,  at  last,  slunk  away  to  their  village 
without  him,  although  they  had  promised  to  take  him 
along.  Ranch  followed  them,  asking  his  way  from 
farm  to  farm. 

Near  by  the  Indian  hamlet  lay  the  homestead  of 
John  Rau.  There  he  found  a  temporary  domicile, 
upon  condition  of  keeping  school  for  the  children  of 
the  famil}'.     His  design  to  preach  to  the  Indians  was 


ir; 


\  ■  ?  ■ 


•  This  Indian  is  called  Tschoop  by  Loskiol.  The  same  name  is  in- 
scribed on  his  tombstone  at  Bethlehem, — placed  over  his  grave  about 
twenty- five  years  ago.  It  occurs  also  in  the  oflScial  record  of  his  death 
in  the  Church  Register,  as  follows:  Johannes, sonst  Tschoop genannt,  that 
is,  "John,  otherwise  called  Tschoop."  His  real  Indian  name  was  Wasa- 
mapah;  his  English  name,  prior  to  his  baptism,  Job;  and  the  name  he 
received  in  baptism  John.  I  incline  to  the  opinion  that  ho  never  boro 
the  name  Tschoop  among  the  natives,  but  that  it  originated  among  the 
early  Moravians,  in  consequence  of  their  German  mode  of  pronouncing 
Job,  und  that  Loskiel  mistook  it  for  an  original  name.  It  is  not  found 
in  any  early  documents  other  than  the  Church  Register.  Zeisberger 
never  uses  it,  but  calls  the  man  either  Job  or  John,  and  the  official 
register  of  Indian  baptisms  knows  nothing  of  it,  but  gives  Wasama- 
pah.  I  am  strengthened  in  my  opinion,  first,  by  the  fact  that  those 
early  Moravians  who  came  to  this  country  from  Germany  often  misspelt 
English  names,  so  as  to  render  them  almost  unintelligible ;  second,  by 
the  circumstance  that  in  Pyrlaeus'a  Narrative  of  the  Work  of  the 
Brethren  among  the  Indians  of  North  America,  a  MS.  in  the  B.  A., 
corrected  by  Count  Zinzendorf,  the  latter,  in  the  margin,  gives  this 
Indian  the  name  of  Copp,  evidently  another  corruption  of  Job;  and 
finally,  by  the  opinion  entertained  among  students  of  Indian  history, 
living  at  Bethlehem  fifty  years  ago,  that  Tschoop  is  a  misnomer  for 
Job. 


Wt 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


99 


denounced  as  wild  and  preposterous,  but  this  did  not 
keep  liira  back. 

Behold  him,  then,  full  of  zeal  and  courage,  going  on 
his  first  visit  to  Shekomeko !  It  is  the  sixteenth  of 
August.  Job  and  Shabash  welcome  him ;  the  whole 
tribe  gathers  around  him,  while  he  explains  the  object 
of  his  coming. 

He  told  us  of  a  Mighty  One,  the  Lord  of  earth  and  sky, 
Who  left  His  ^'lory  in  the  heavens,  for  men  to  hleed  and  die ; 
"Who  loved  poor  Indian  sinners  still,  and  longed  to  gain  their  love, 
And  be  their  Saviour  here,  and  in  his  Father's  house  above. 

And  when  his  talo  was  ended — "  My  friends,"  he  gently  said, 

"  I  am  weary  with  my  journey,  and  would  fain  lay  down  my  head ;" 

So  beside  our  spears  and  arrows  ho  laid  him  down  to  rest, 

And  slept  as  sweetly  as  the  babe  upon  its  mother's  breast. 

Then  we  looked  upon  each  other,  and  I  whispered,  "This  is  new; 
Yes,  we  have  heard  glad  tidings,  and  that  sleeper  knows  them  true  ; 
He  knows  ho  has  a  Friend  above,  or  would  ho  slumber  here. 
With  men  of  war  around  him,  and  the  war-whoop  in  his  ear  ?" 

So  wo  told  him  on  the  morrow  that  he  need  not  journey  on, 
But  stay  and  tell  us  further  of  that  loving,  dying  One ; 
And  thm  we  heard  of  Jesus  first,  and  felt  the  wondrous  power 
Which  makes  His  people  willing,  in  His  own  accepted  hour.' 


»  These  lines  represent  Job  as  the  speaker,  and  are  based  upon  an 
interesting  account  given  by  him  after  his  conversion,  at  a  missionary 
conference  held  at  Bethlehem,  in  1745,  of  the  manner  in  which  Ranch 
won  the  confidence  of  the  Shekomeko  tribe.  The  incident  is  set  forth 
in  detail  by  Bishop  Spangenberg  in  his  "Account  of  the  manner  in 
which  the  Protestant  Church  of  the  Unitas  Fratrum  preach  the  Gospel 
and  carry  on  their  Missions  among  the  Heathen."  English  translation. 
London,  1788,  pp.  62  and  63. 


1 1 


,7* 


s.Sa 


H  *;' 


I  >  i\ 


mm 


-^..v,.x- /uH'v.  yy^MA-o.:i.- 


V    V 


V 


100  Z//F^  AXD   TIMES  OF 

/  Thus  arose  .  a  new  factor  in  the  evangelization  of 
the  aborigines  of  North  America.  Attempted  by  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  as  early  as  1549,  three  years 
after  Luther's  death,  when  Protestantism  *vas  struggling 
into  independence;  having  for  its  forerunrer  Louis  Can- 
cello,  a  Domini'jan  friar,  who  suflered  death  at  the  hands 
of  the  savages  of  Florida,  soon  after  landing  on  their 
shores;  its  successful  beginning  was  left  to  the  daunt- 
less disciples  of  Ignatius  Loyola.  TUcj&rst  of  these 
'.  reached  Canada  on  the  twelfth  of  Juno,  IGll,  and  were 
the  pioneers  of  a  work  which  was  illustrious  by  reason 
of  the  faith  and  zeal  that  sustained  it,  and  un- 
surpassed in  the  sufferings  it  involved  and  the  courage 
it  evoked. 

In  1634,  Brebeuf,  Daniel,  and  Lalleraand  inaugurated 
a  mission  among  the  Hurons,  whijch_jDros£ered  greatly. 
Christian  villages  clustered  around  the  lake  of  this 
people  ;  and  upon  the  banks  of  the  Matchedash,  joining 
Lake  Toronto  to  Huron,  stood  St.  Mary's,  the  central 
station.  Thither  came,  two  or  three  times  a  year,  the 
various  missionaries,  recounting  what  God  had  wrought 
in  the  wilderness,  and  preparing  for  new  conflicts  and 
triumphs.  From  1634  to  1647,  not  less  than  forty- 
two  Fathers  traversed  the  wide  hunting-grounds  of  the 
natives,  besides  eighteen  evangelists  not  yet  initiated. 

Meanwhile  a  public  hospital  had  been  endowed  at 
Quebec,  for  the  benefit  of  Indians  and  of  white  pien, 
a  colony  of  converts  established  near  the  town,  and  a 
seminary  founded  to  train  Jesuits  that  should  explore 
still  more  distant  regions  of  the  Forth  and  West. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


101 


In  such  explorations  Charles  Raymbault  and  Isaac 
Jogues  Lad  already  taken  the  lead.  They  visited  the 
Chippewas,  and  brought  the  Gospel  to  the  tribes  of 
Michigan.  Some  time  after  this,  while  on  his  road  to 
the  Huron  Mission,  Jogues  was  captured  by  a  roving 
baud  of  Mohawks,  and  made  to  endure  the  cruelties  of 
the  gantlet,  all  the  way  from  the  St.  Lawrence  to  their 
own  country.  There  his  life  was  unexpectedly  spared, 
and  he  wandered  through  the  forests,  writing  the  name 
of  Jesus  and  carving  the  cross  on  the  bark  of  trees. 
He  was,  therefore,  the  first  to  proclaim,  although  by 
these  silent  emblems  onl}^  the  Son  of  God  within  the 
hunting-grounds  of  the  Five  Nations. 

Kor  had  the  East  been  forgotten.  Among  the 
Abenakis  of  Maine  lived  Gabriel  Dreuillettes,  who 
baptized  converts,  and  said  mass  for  them  in  a  chapel 
erected  a  few  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  Kennebec.    - 

Four  years  after  his  captivity,  from  which  he  had 
been  ransomed  by  the  Dutch,  Father  Jogues  was  sent 
to  convert  his  captors.  True  to  his  vow,  he  obeyed  the 
call,  but  expressed  a  presentiment  that  it  would  cost 
him  his  life.  This  presentiment  was  fulfilled.  No 
sooner  had  he  reached  the  Mohawk  valley  than  he  was 
condemned  as  a  sorcerer  and  put  to  death.  This 
brought  about  a  new  war  between  the  Iroquois  and 
Hurons,  resulting  most  disastrously  for  the  latter. 
Their  'country  was  invaded,  its  Christian  villages  were 
destroyed,  the  converts  massacred,  and  some  of  the 
missionaries  subjected  to  the  most  barbarous  tortures. 
Brebeuf,  cut,  scorched,  seared  with  hot  iron,  scalded 


) 


y? 


'i^  i  i 


l\i 


102 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


|;<  \'i 


/ 


t  .V 


with  boiling  water,  and  scalped  while  yet  alive, 
agonized  for  three  hours;  Lallemand,  cased  in  burn- 
;ing  pine-bark  full  of  rosin,  lingered  for  seventeen 
■hours  amid  excruciating  pains.  The  Ilurons,  totally 
defeated,  sued  for  peace;  and  the  unfortunate  remnant 
I  of  the  tribe  was  embodied  with  the  nations  of  its 
'conquerors. 

.  Such   experiences,  however,  could    not   repress    the 

(ardor  of  the  Jesuits.     The  fiercer  the   Five   Nations 

■/showed  themselves  to  be,  the  more  clearly  it  became 

their  duty  to  convert  them.    Father  Le  Moyne,  while 

.  on  a  political  embassy  to  Onondaga  (1G53),  preached  the 

^Gospel  wherever  he  found  hearers,  opened  the  meetings 

/of  the  Grand  Council  with  the  prayers  of  his  church, 

and  prepared  the  minds  of  the  Iroquois  for  the  cora- 

ving  of  the  missionaries.     These   appeared,  two  years 

later,  in  the  persons  of  Chaumonot  and  Claude  Dablon, 

who  established  a  station  in  the  metropolis  itself,  built 

a  chapel,  instituted  all  the  ceremonies  of  the  Romish 

ritual,   and    baptized    hundreds    of    converts.      And 

although,  in  the  course  of  time,  this  mission  had  to  be 

abandoned,  it  was  eventually  renewed,  and  stretched 

its  branches  to  every  canton  of  the  League. 

With  the  same  indefatigable  zeal  .these  propagandists 
penetrated  to  the  Far  West.  In  1670,  the  two  extremities 
of  Lake  Superior  heard  the  matin-bells  of  Ste.  Marie  du 
'Sault,  and  the  vesper  hymns  of  the  Mission  du  St. 
;  Esprit,  while  the  heads  of  Lakes  Huron  and  Michigan 
Iwere  the  seats  of  other  stations.  Three  years  later, 
iMarquette  descended  the  Mississippi  to  the  junction  of 


Hi'i 


v.. 


.«  .  /  , 


VN  •^• 


D^r/Z)  ZEISBERGER. 


-■i   ■■I  -— ** 


the  Arkansas,  and  he  was  followed  by  La  Salle  (1G82),| 
who  founded  colonies  and  missions. 

Thus  the  Church  of  Rome,  through  that  order  which 
had  been  organized  to  crush  out  Protestantism  from  the 
Old  World,  became  the  herald  of  the  Gospel  in  the  New, 
In  the  seventeenth  century,  however,  the  glory  of  this 
work  began  to  wane ;  and  after  the  conquest  of  Canada, 
when  the  sway  of  the  Continent  passed  into  the  hands 
of  Great  Britain,  the  most  of  the  Fathers  abandoned  the 
field  (17G3V 

But   the  tribes  had   not  been   left  to   the   spiritual 
embraces  of  Rome  alone.     However  stern  the  religion 
of  the  Puritans,  it  could  not  permit  heathens  to  perish 
at  the  very  doors  of  its  sanctuaries.     As  early  as  1647, 
tjie__ clergy'  of  New^England    solicited  Parliament    to  ] 
aid  in  evangelizing  the  Indians ;  and,  in  1649,  that  body 
passed  an  ordinance  authorizing  the  organization  of  a 
"Society  for    the    Adva.. cement    of    Civilization    and 
Christianity"  among   them.     This  society  established  > 
schools,  and  caused  the  Gospel  to  be  preached.    Fore-  \ 
most  among  the  men  who  engaged  in  such  enterprises  1 
was   John  Eliot,  the  illustrious  apostie  of   the  Ne\v^  | 
England   Indians.    Beginning    at    Nonantum,  now  a  | 
part  of  JSTewton,  he  devoted  forty-four  years  of  his  life  i 
to  the  work,  in  various  parts  of  Massachusetts  and  within  | 
the  limits  of  the  Plymouth  patent,  proclaiming  Christ,  [ 
teaching  the  Indians  to  read  and  write,  translating  the] 


>  Clark's  Ononda.gn,  i.  chap,  vi.;  Bancroft's  Hist,  of  the  U.  S.,  i.  ii.  and 
iii.;  Map  of  the  Jesuit  Missions,  in  1670  and  1671 ;  Farknian's  Jesuits 
in  North  America  in  tho_Seyente^thjCentury. 


!.w 


mf 


M 

Ml 


ill  '\  i; 


■  I 


104 


LIFE  ANl    TIMES  OF 


entire  Bible  into  their  language,  and  bripcjiiig  many  of 
them  to  the  personal  enjoyment  of  faith  and  peace. 
Secoiided  by  Mayhew,  he  established  villages  of  "pray- 
ing Indians"   on    Cape   Cod,   Martha's  Vineyard,  and 
Nantucket,  and  so /en  of  them  around  Boston.     And 
when,  at  last,  after  the  toils  of  fourscore  years  and  six, 
he  slept  with  his  fathers,  other  Protestant  evangelists 
trod    in   his  footsteps.     In   1700,  there  were    thirteen 
missionaries   in    the    English    Colonies   supported    by 
fgovernmentj  besides  several  whr)  labored  on  their  own 
i^aecount.     At  the  instance  of  the  Earl  of  Belloraont, 
"^Governor  of  New  York,  Queen  Anne  was  led  to  interest 
;  herself  in  these  missions.     Under  her  auspices,  clergy- 
imen  of  the  Anglican  Church  were  sent  to  "instruct  the 
IFive  Nations  and  to  prevent  their  being  practiced  upon 
<by  the  French  priests  and  Jesuits."     Thoroughgood 
;Moor  came  from  England,  on  this  service,  in   1704; 
iWilliam  Andrews  followed,  in  1712;  ind  later,  for  many 
■years,,  Henry  Barclay  and  John   Ogilvie,  of   Albany, 
,  labored  among  the  Mohawks.* 

It  was  well,  however,  that  God  had  brought  a  new 

element  into  the  work ;  for,  at  the  time  when  the  Mora- 

(vians  took  it  up,  it  met  with  little  Bympathy  and  was 

Neither  amons:  the  Mohawks  nor  the 


/pmmg  away. 


•  Oneidas,  nor  the  tribes  of  New  England,  were  the  pious 
^efforts  of  God's  servants  successful.  An  evil  and  corrupt 
(generation  met  them.    "  There  is  no  hope  of  making 


•Ihem  better,"  reported  Andrews  of  the  Mohawks  after 


>  Clirk's  Onondaga,  i.  chapter  vii.i  Bancroft's  U.  S.,  ii.  94-97. 


f* 


DAVID  ZEISBERQER. 


105 


/ 


six  years  of  toil  and  disappointments ;  "  heathen  they 
are,  and  heathen  they  still  must  be."  David  Brainerd ' 
was  not  yet  in  the  rich  fieUl  which  was  ripening  for  him 
in  New  Jersey;  nor  had  Azariah  Ilorton  come  to  glean 
among  the  Montauks  of  Long  Island.  And  as  for  the 
Jesuit  Mission,  its  heroic  dpys  were  past.  The  priests 
seldom  induced  their  still  numerous  converts  to  lead 
even  outwardly  better  lives.  Baptized  savages  strutted  ^  >; 
among  the  unbaptized,  decorating  their  persons  with 
rosaries,  as  though  they  were  strings  of  wampum,  but  ' 
were  carnal  and  dissolute  as  before.  Genuine  conver- 
sions, manifested  by  a  sober,  righteous,  and  godly  life, 
were  rarely  known.  Hence  the  Indians  had  come  to  be 
regarded  as  brutish  savages,  whose  salvation  was  hope- 
less. Earnest  Christiana  in  New  York  asserted  this 
opinion  in  Kauclrs  hearing,  and  it  was  entertained  even 
by  a  man  like  Conrad  Weisser. 

For  a  time,  indeed,  it  appeared  as  if  Ranch's  enter- 
prise would  but  serve  to  establish  such  arguments.  As 
long  as  his  instructions  were  a  novelty  he  was  welcome 
at  Shekomeko;  after  that  the  tribe  grew  tired  of  him. 
But  he  persevered,  preaching  Christ  from  hut  to  hut, ; 
and  quenching  the  oicions  that  self-interested  white 
men  had  excited  in  the  minds  of  the  natives  as  to  the  \ 
purity  of  his  motives.  A  whole  year  passed  in  thl8\ 
way.  At  last  a  sunbeam  burst  through  thr  spiritual!- 
darkness  which  enshrouded  the  village.  Job,  Shabash,/* 
and  several  others,  who  had  for  some  time  been  strug-! 
gling  against  their  better  convictions,  experienced  the; 
grace  of  God  and  were  converted. 


V.y 


fc<. 


*■■*-  - 


V 


^w^ 

*--« 

■^-l. 


.  M 


i       h 


'1  '  ! 


I     ' 


n« 


r  i! : 

11^ 


W 


ill'  M 


.;f:; 


-i.'' 


'^y. 


106 


/.;,  .. 


L7FE  AND   TIMES  OF 


::i'-  V 


X. 


Such  was  the  humble  beginning  of  that  Moravian  Mis- 
sion in  the  service  of  which  Zeisberger  spent  his  life. 
Meanwhile  several  young  men,  John  Chnstopher  Pyr- 
( laeus,  Gottlob  BUttuer,  and  William  Zander,  had  come 
.'to  Bethlehem  from  Germany,  eager  to  aid  Rauch  in  his 
I  work.  BUttner,  whose  short  but  illustrious  career  makes 
'  his  name  a  bright  star  in  the  galaxy  of  Indian  missiona- 
ries^* was  sent,  at  New  Year  (1742),  to  invite  Rauch  to 
the  third  Pennsylvania  Synod.''    After  a  protracted  stay 
at  Shekomeko,  on  which  occasion  he  preached  his  first 
sermon  to  the  Indians,  he  accompanied  Rauch  and  three 
converts  to  Oley,  where  this  Synod  was  to  meet,  in  the 
house  of  John  de  Turck.     Several  days  having  been  de- 
voted to  its  ordinary  business,  there  assembled,  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  twenty-third  of  February,  in  Mr.  de 
Turck's  barn,  the  whole  body  of  its  members,  consisting 
of  Moravians,  Lutherans,  Reformed,  Tunkers,  Menno- 
nites,  Schwenkfelders,  Separatists,  and  Hermits,  in  whose 


'  Bom  in  Silesia,  December  29,  1716;  came  to  America,  October  26, 
1741 ;  married  to  a  daugbter  of  Jobn  Bechtel,  of  Germantown,  Pa.;  and 
died  at  Shekomeko,  February  23, 1745. 

*  The  Pennsylvai  a  Synod,  as  it  is  commonly  called,  embraced  repre- 
sentatives of  all  tl)  German  religious  denominations  in  that  Province, 
and  was  organize!  it  Germantown  through  the  influence  of  Count  Zin- 
zendorf,  January  12, 1742.  Its  members  adopted  tho  title  of  "  The  Con- 
gregation of  God  in  the  Spirit,"  and  it  had  for  its  aim  the  union  of  the 
German  churches  upon  the  basis  of  experimental  religion.  It  continued 
its  labors  for  six  years,  although  sustained,  after  a  time,  almost  exclu- 
sively by  tho  Moravians.  In  1748,  it  was  changed  inta  a  Synod  of  tho 
United  Brethren's  Church.  This  interesting  movement  was  a  beautiful 
but  premature  ideal,  which,  in  tho  end,  served  rather  to  augment  tho 
existing  differences  among  religionists  than  to  establish  the  unity  of  tho 
spirit  in  tho  bonds  of  peace. 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


107 


pre eence  Rauch ..baptized  the^lnjians^call^^     Skafcash 
Abraham,  Seim  Isaac,  aud  KIop  Ja.cob.^     Uoder  cir-, 
cumstauces  so  remarkable,  the  first  converts  of  the  Mo-' 
ravian  Mission  among  the  aborigines  of  our  country  were  , 
embodied  with  the  Church  of  Christ.     Job,  the  fourth 
convert,  was  subsequently  baptized  at  Shekomeko  (April 
16).    lie  received  the  apostolic  name  of  John.     In  au- 
tumn (October  1,  1742),  BUttner  became  the  resident 
missionary. 

In  the  mean  time  Count  Zinzendorf  had  himself  gone 
to  preach  to  the  natives,  accompanied  by  an  escort  of  i 
fifteen  persons,  among  whom  were  his  young  daughter, 
Beuigna,  three  of  her  female  companions,  Zander,  and 
an  Indian  interpreter.  Setting  ou^  from  Bethlehem 
(July  24),  they  first  visited  Moses  Tatemy,''  on  the  site- 
of  the  present  Stockertown,  as  also  other  Indians  near 
Nazareth.  Thence  they  proceeded  to  the  wilderness 
beyond  the  Blue  Mountains,  as  far  north  as  the  Long  Val- 
ley, stopping,  on  their  way  back,  at  Moniolagomekah.' 


V 


'ex.. 


V^ 


V, 


'-<•-    ■'■• 


'  In  the  morning  of  that  day  Rauch,  Biittncr,  Pj'rlaeus,  and  Andrew 
Eschenbach,  the  Home  Missionary  at  Oley,  had  been  ordained  to  the 
ministry  by  Bishops  Zinzendorf  and  Nitsehmann.  At  the  baptism, 
Rauch  first  preached  on  Rev.  v.  9  ;  tlicn  was  sung  0  Welt^  sieh'  hier  dcin 
Leben!  during  which  hymn  the  Indiana  came  forward.  Rauch,  with 
much  emotion,  addressed  to  them  an  earnest  charge.  The  hymn  Nim 
ist'sgcthmi  followed,  during  which  they  knelt  around  a  large  vessel  filled 
with  water.  Thereupon  Rauch  baptized  them,  and  with  the  imposition 
of  hands  imparted  the  blessing  of  the  Lord. — Scelle's  Hist.  Account  of  the 
Origin  of  the  Work  at  Oley,  MS.  L.  A. 


Tat 


./ 


...A; 


imiy,  or  IMosos,  was  a  Delaware  chief,  owning  300  acres  of  land,  > 
presented  to  him  'jy  the  Proprietaries,  on  the  present  site  of  Stocker-  \ 
town,  near  Nazareth. 

'  This  Indian  village,  which  lay  in  Eldred  Township,  Monroe  County, 
eight  miles  west  of  tho  Wind  Gap,  in  the  so-called  Smith's  Valley,  on 


Ff 


;t  "I 


108 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


£'<'„ 


m  I 


m 


slii 


( 


Here  they  took  a  trail  which  is  hard  to  trace,  but  which 
brought  them  through  Allemaengel  to  the  Schuylkill 
River,  where  they  proclaimed  Christ  to  a  party  of  na- 
tives bivouacking  on  its  banks.  That  same  day  Conrad 
Weisser  welcomed  them  to  hi.;  homestead  in  Tulpe- 
hocken. 

At  this  place  they  found  a  delegation  of  Iroquois 
sachems,  on  their  return  from  a  treaty  at  Philadelphia, 
whom  Zinzendorf,  by  "Weisscr's  aid,  won  over  to  his  pro- 
ject of  beginning  a  mission  among  them.     "Brother," 
they  said,  in  reply  to  his  overtures,  "  you  have  journeyed 
a  long  way,  from  beyond  the  sea,  in  order  to  preach  to 
the  white  people  and  the  Indians.     You  did  not  know 
that  we  were  here;    we  had  no   knowledge   of  your 
.  coming.     The  Great  Spirit  has  brought  us  together. 
;  Come  to  our  people.     You  shall  be  welcome.     Take 
'\  this  fathom  of  wampum.    It  is  a  token  that  our  words 
are  true." 

J  This  was  the  beginning  of  the  friendship  which  ex- 
isted for  many  years  between  the  Moravians  and  the 
League  of  the  Iroquois,  and  which  gave  the  former  a 
iBtanding  among  all  other  tribes.  Zinzendorf  took  the 
fathom,  composed  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-six  pieces 
/of  wampum,  to  England^  where  he  committed  it  to  the 
/keeping  of  Spangenberg,  at  a  convocation  of  clergy 
I  held  at  Lamb's  Inn,  or  Broad  Oaks,  in  Essex  (March 
1 10,  1743),  with  instructions  to  use  it  wisely  for  the 
'spread  of  the  kingdom  of  God  among  the  aborigines 


the  north  bank  of  tho  Aqunnshicola,  afterward  became  a  Mission  sta- 
tion.— Memorials  of  the  Mo7'avian  Vhu"-:h,  i.  35. 


DAVID  ZEISBEROER. 


109 


of  North  America.  Spangenberg  brought  it  back  to' 
this  country,  and  it  was  often  employed  in  subsequent, 
negotiations  with  the  Iroquois.* 

Three  days  after  his  retriru  from  Tulpehocken,  the  \ 
Count  set  out  on   his  second  journey  to  the  Indian  / 
countrj',  again  accompanied  by  his  daughter   (August j 
10,  1742).     By  way  of  the  Delaware  Water-Gap,  the 
Miun'sinks,  and  Esopus,  they  traveled  to  Shekomeko, 
where  they  lodged  in   a  bark  hut,  which  had   been 
constructed  for  them,  and  which  they  pronounced  to 
be  better  than  a  palace.     They  spent  eight  days  in  the 
village,  during    which    time    six    new    converts   were . 
baptized,    and    the    fi,rst    MoravJan    Mission    Church  j 
among_  the  Indian8_wa£  organized.     It  consisted  of  the  | 
following  ten  personSjWhojyere  all  either  Moliicans  or  \ 
"Wampanoags :  Abraham  and  his  wife  Sarah,  Isaac  and 
his  wife  Rebecca,  Jacob,  John,  Thomas  (Pechtawapect)  | 
and  his  wife  Esther,  Jonah  (Anamapamit),  and  Timothy  \ 
(Kaupaas).'*    John  was  appointed  Interpreter;  Abraham,  v 


1  The  following  sachems  took  part  in  the  negotiations  with  Zinzendorf : 
Gannssateco  and  Caxhayion,  of  the  (  nondaga  Nation  ;  Sasislaquo  and 
Shikelliiny,  of  the  Oneida ;  Cadgaradasey  and  Sahuchsova,  of  the 
Cayuga  ;  and  Wehvehcagy,  a  Shawanose  chief,  as  the  representative  of 
the  Tjscarora.  Shikellimy  and  the  two  Onondagas  presented  the 
fathom. — Buedlngische  Sammlung,  vol.  ii.  art.  xxx.  p.  940. 

Ganassateco,  called  Cuna.-sctogo  in  the  Penn.  Col.  Records,  was  one 
of  the  principal  men  at  Onondaga,  and  a  warm  friend  of  Zeisberger. 
He  died  in  1750.  Shikellimy  is  called  an  Oneida  in  the  Buedlngische 
Sammlung,  but  according  to  the  unanimous  testimony  of  all  the  sources 
other  than  those  of  Moravian  origin,  he  was  f.  Cayuga.  His  Mohawk 
name  was  Swatana. 

»  Kegister  of  Indian  Baptisms,  1742  to  1764.  This  invaluable  record 
was  presented  to  mo  by  the  lato  Miss  Ileckowelder,  of  Bethlehem,  a 


1 


iy  ,1 


I"  u 


•)h 


110 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


Elder;  Jacob,  Exhorter;  and  Isaac,  Sexton.    Zinzendorf 
Bays  of  them,  "They  are  incomparable  Indians,  true  men 

;  of  God  among  their  tribe,  and  form  a  conference  which 

'  we  often  attended  with  astonishment."* 

Toward  the  end  of  September,  at  the  head  of  a 
numerous  party,  he  undertook  his  longest  and  most 
perilous  tour.  Among  his  companions  were  Martin 
and  Joanna  Mack,''  Peter  Boehler,  Conrad  Weir,ser, 
Anna  Nitschmann,  the  Deaconess,'  and  two  Indian 
interpreters,  Joshua  and  David,  who  had  recently  been 
baptized  at  Bethlehem. 

On  their  way  to  Shamokin,  they  came  tj  a  ridge  of 
forest-crowned  mountains,  across  which  led  a  blind  trail, 
full  of  loose,  sharp  stones,  and  close  to  high  rocks,  the 
rugged  sides  of  which  rendered  horseback  riding  ex- 
ceedingly dangerous.  These  mountains  being  without 
a  name,   Conrad  "Weisser  called  them   "The  Thiirn- 


daughter  of  the  well-known  missionary,  to  whom  it  originally  belonged. 
After  I  had  had  it  in  use  for  a  long  time,  I  found  the  official  Register, 
1742  to  1772,  in  the  B.  A.  The  Register  subsequent  to  this  date  must 
have  been  destroyed  in  the  Revolutionary  "War. 

,  1  Of  Zinzendorf's  second  iourney,  and  of  a  part  of  the  third,  we  have 
(a  MS.  journal,  written  by  himself,  in  a  bark  hut,  at  Ostonwacken.  Ho 
-■complains  of  the  want  of  a  secretary,  and  says  that  ho  writes  from 
[memory,  having  taken  no  notes.     This  MS.  is  in  the  B.  A. 

*  Martin  Mack,  born  April  13,  1715,  at  Lysingen,  in  Wurtemberg, 

was  a  distinguished  missionary  among  the  Indians,  and  subsequemtly  a 

imissionary  bishop  among  the  negroes  of  the  "West  Indies.     He  died 

iJunj  9,  1784,  while  Superintendent  of  the  Mission  in  St.  Croix.     His 

jyife  was  a  daughter  of  John  Rau,  of  Shekomeko. 

•The  daughter  of  David  Nitschmann,  known  as  the  "Founder  of 
Bethlehem,"  born  November  24,  1715,  in  Moravia,  and  died  at 
Herrnhut,  May  21,  17G0,  a  woman  of  extraordinary  talents,  piety,  and 
:zeal. 


t    I 


/ 


VJ! 


DAVID  ZEJSBERGEB. 


Ill 


stein,"  in  honor  of  Zinzendorf.^  They  were  the  parallel 
chains  of  the  Blue  Eidge  now  known  as  Second,  Third, 
and  Peter's  Mountains.  Thence  the  party  found  their 
way  to  the  Susquehanna,  and,  passing  up  the  eastern 
bank,  reached  the  Line  and  Mahanoy  Mountains  of 
Northumberland  County. 

Zinzondorf  describes  that  country  an  the  wildest  he 
had  ever  seen.  But  its  shaggy  hills  and  precipitous 
cliffs  seemed  to  inspire  the  Deaconess  with  a  courage 
above  her  sex.  She  was  on  her  way  to  heathens,  who 
knew  nothing  of  her  God  and  Saviour;  and,  burning 
with  impatience  to  proclaim  His  love,  she  dashed 
forward  at  the  head  of  the  company,  and  would  not 
relinquish  that  place  even  when  they  crossed  the 
Mahanoy,  which  was  so  steep  that  they  were  forced  to 
ride  linked  together,  like  Swiss  mountaineers. 

At  Shamokin,  Shikellimy  received  them  with  all  the" 
hospitality  of  ai    Iroquois    sachem.      Zinzendorf  hadf 
conceived  a  strong  affection  for  this  Indian,  and  looked 
upon  him  as  a  chosen  instrument  for  the  evangelization; 
of  the  aborigines.     He  spent  three  days  in  his  lodge,, 
enlisting  his  co-operation  in  this  great  work. 

Riding  on  to  Ostonwacken,  through  glades  tinted 
with  the  first  hues  of  autumn,  his  heart  was  lifted  up 
in  praise  to  Him  by  whom  these  glorious  forests  of 
America  had  been  created,  and  in  whom  their  roving 
tribes  should  be  blessed.  The  village  received  him  with/ 
military  salutes ;  Madame  Montour*  and  her  son  An^ 


*  Lord  of  Thuri';'',oin  W93  ono  of  Zinzendorf'sjitles. 

» iladame  Montour  burst  into  a  flood  of  tears  when  she  saw  Zinzen- 


!;  \ 


ii  f! 


112 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


drew^  with  a  hospitable  welcome.  Here  he  preached 
.  the  Gospel  in  French  to  large  gatherings.' 
'"  In  the  second  week  of  October,  the  party  separated, 
Conrad  Weisser  and  others  going  back  to  the  settle- 
ments, while  Zinzendorf,  Mack,  Joanna  Mack,  and 
Anna  Nitschmann,  together  with  Andrew  Montour, 
proceeded  to  Wyoming.  It  was  a  perilous  undertaking. 
Thoy  were  in  a  part  of  the  North  Susquehanna  wilder- 
ness, which,  as  far  as  is  known,  had  never  before  been 
visited  by  a  white  man ;  and,  after  four  days  of  incessant 
hardships,  reached  the  plains  of  Skehantowanno,  and 
encamped  near  the  village  of  the  Shawanese. 

With    this    people    Zinzendorf   spent    three  weeks, 

") preaching  the  glorious  Gospel  of  the  blessed  God.    But 

its  cheering  promises  found  no  response  in  their  hearts. 

In  spite  of  all  his  efforts  to  gain  their  confidence  they 

regarded  him  with  suspicion,  and  persisted  in  believing 


»<'m 


dorf,  and  heard  that  he  had  como  to  preach  the  Gospel,  the  truths  of 
which  she  had  almost  entirely  forgotten.    She  believed  Bethlehem,  the 
Saviour's  birthplace,  to  be  in  France,  and  his  crueifiers  to  have  been 
Englishmen.    This  silly  perversion  originated  with  the  Jesuits,  and 
prevailed  among  the  French  Indians. 
1  Zinzendorf's  description  of  Andrew  Montour's   appearance    may 
;■  prove  interesting,  since  he  was  so  important  a  character  in  the  Colonial 
i  history  of  our  country.*   "  His  face,"  he  writes,  "  is  like  that  of  a  Euro- 
i  poan,  but  marked  with  a  broad  Indian  ring  of  bear's  grease  and  paint 
\  drawn  completely  around  it.    He  wears  a  coat  of  fine  cloth  of  cinnamon 
color,  a  black  necktie  with  silver  spangles,  a  red  satin  vest,  pantaloons, 
over  which  hangs  his  shirt,  shoes,  and  stockings,  a  hat,  and  brass  orna- 
jTients,  something  like  the  handle  of  a  basket,  suspended  from  his  ears." 
»  Here  Zinzendorf's  journal  stops.     My  authority  for  what  follows,  of 
his  visit  to  Wyoming,  is  a  MS.  letter  (B.  A.)  from   Martin   Mack  to 
Bishop  Peter  Boehler,  detailing,  at  the  request  of  the  latter,  the  inci- 
dents of  the  journey.     It  was  written  after  the  Count's  death. 


DAVID  ZEISDEROER. 


113 


that  he  wanted  their  land,  and  had  come  to  rob  them 

of  the  silver  mines  which  were  reputed  to  exist  in  that 

region.     And  although  he  embraced  every  opportunity 

to  do  them  good ;   negotiated  with  the  principal  chief 

of  the  Shawanese ;  called  together  the  Mohicans  of  the  •  ^  ^ 

valley  and  offered  these  the  Gospel ; — his  labors  were  ', 

unsuccessful,  and    the    animosity  of   the    natives    but; 

increased.     To  add  to  his  distress,  the  provisions  of  the 

party  began  to  fail.     For  ten  days  they  lived  on  boiled 

beans.    At  last,  Mack's  wife  found  a  Mohican  squaw 

more  friendly  than  the  rest,  who  furnished  corn-bread; 

until  the  arrival  of  supplies  from  Bethlehem. 

One  afternoon,  while  the  Count  sat  in  his  tent,  which 

had  been  removed  from  its  original  site  to  the  top  of  a 

hill,  arranging  his  letters,  Mack,  who  was  outside  in 

conversation  with  some  others  of  the  party,  saw  two '^ 

spreading  adders  basking  in  the  sunshine,  but  a  few 

feet  from  the  door.      Startled  by  his  approach,  the}' 

reared  their  heads,  dilated  with  rage,  and  passed  swiftly 

beneath  the  canvas,  just  as  Zinzendorf  was  stooping  over 

his  manuscripts,  which  he  had  spread  upon  the  ground. 

In  the  next  instant  his  ears  were  filled  with  sharp  hisses, 

and,  before  he  could   spring  to  his  feet,  the  serpents 

had  glided  over  his  body  and  disappeared  among  the 

papers.     His  friends  rushed  in,  and  discovered  the  hole 

of  the  adders  within  the  folds  of  the  tent.      It  was 

a  wonderful  escape  from  death.      The  words  of  the 

prophet,  when  describing,  in  a  figure,  the  peace  of  the 

millennial  kingdom  of  Christ,  may  be  said  to  have  been 

literally  fulfilled  in  the   midst  of  one  of  the  heathen 

8 


y^^ 


'U^ 


^r^ 


<.- 


V 


114 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


WAU 


strongholds  of  the  kingdom  of  Satan,— not  a  child,  but 
a  man,  played  on  the  hole  of  the  asp,  and  put  his  hand 
on  the  cockatrice'  den.' 

Not  long  after  this,  God  interposed,  a  second  time,  to 
save  his  life.  David  Nitschmann,  Anthony  Seyfert, 
and  one  Kohn,  having  arrived  from  Bethlehem  with  a 
package  of  letters,  containing  reports  of  the  work  of 
the  Church  in  different  parts  of  the  world,  he  expressed 
a  wish  to  be  alone,  while  he  examined  these  jjapers. 
Accordingly  he  had  his  tent  transferred  to  a  solitary 
place,  higher  up  the  river.  This  excited  the  suspicions 
of  the  Shawanese  more  than  ever.  "  Why  does  this 
white  man  stay  on  our  lands  ?  "Why  does  he  pitch  his 
tent  first  here,  and  then  there?  Why  do  we  submit 
to  his  presence?"  These  questions,  discussed  at  the 
council-fire  of  the  tribe,  resulted  in  a  deliberate  plan  to 
murder  him.  The  time  was  fixed,  and  the  savage 
designated  who  was  to  strike  the  blow,  when,  unex- 
pectedly to  all,  Conrad  Weisser  reached  the  valley, 
alarmed  by  Zinzendorf  s  protracted  absence,  and  filled 
with  a  presentiment  of  the  danger  which  threatened 
him.  The  presence  of  the  government  agent,  and  the 
bold  authority  with  which  he  *;reated  the  Shawanese, 
put  an  end  to  their  sinister  design.* 


\\' 


1  Isaiah,  xi.  8. 

'  These  facts,  given  upon  the  authority  of  Mack,  one  of  Zinzcndorf's 
companions  at  Wyoming,  explode  the  notorious  rattlesnake  story,  first 
published  by  Chapman  in  his  History  of  Wyoming  (pp.  21,  23);  re- 
peated by  Mi  -"er  in  his  History  of  Wyoming  (pp.  38,  39),  and  in  all 
subsequent  histories  of  this  kind  down  to  Stewart  Pcarcc's  lutest  Anyuils 
of  Luzerne  County,  as  also  in  many  other  works.     That  story  is  an 


/'. 


DAVID  ZEISDEROER. 


115 


Count  Zinzondoi'f,  the  first  white  man  in  the  valley \ 
of  Wyoming,  sitting  alone  in  his  tent  within  sight  of  the  ' 
lodoos  of  the  savasjes  whom  he  had  come  to  teach  the 
name  of  Jcsna,  but  who  disdainfully  refused  to  listen  to  : 
his  instructions,  presents  a  picture  which  the  Christian  / 
may  well  pause  to  contemplate.  Descended  from  one 
of  the  noblest  houses  of  German}',  counting  princes  and 
kings  among  his  ancestors,  an  ornament  to  any  royal 
court,  trained  as  a  statesman,  and  endowed  with  talents 
that  might  have  made  him  a  leading  mind  in  the  politics 
of  Europe,  he  had  turned  away  from  these  flattering 
prospects,  had  exchanged  the  dress  of  the  courtier  for 
the  garb  of  the  pilgrim,  the  sword  of  the  peer  for  the 
staff  of  the  stranger;  and,  cheerfully  taking  up  as  his  ap- 
pointed burden  the  displeasure  of  some  of  his  own  family, 
the  scoffs  of  the  world,  the  false  accusations  of  enemies, 
had  devoted  himself  and  all  that  he  possessed  to  the 
service  of  Christ;  preaching  in  his  own  country,  in  Amer- 
ica, and  on  the  islands  of  the  tropics,  among  nobles  and 
peasants,  to  settlers,  Indians,  and  negroes,  the  "Word  of 
reconciliation,"  and  glorying  everywhere  only  in  the 
Cross.  As  in  all  former  periods  of  his  labors,  so  in  the 
dark  experiences  which  Wyoming  brought  him,  he  re- 
mained true  to  the  cause  which  he  had  espoused,  and  firm 
in  his  dependence  upon  God.  The  nights  which  the 
Shawanese  spent  in  dancing  and  revelry  he  passed  in 


unmitigated  fable,  which  probably  grew  out  of  the  combined  tradition 
of  the  incident  of  the  adders  and  the  plot  to  murder  Zinzendorf.  To 
his  experience  with  the  adders  the  Count  himself  refers  in  one  of  his 
poems:  Anfiang,  xii.  No.  1902. 


im 


V. 


>u 


116 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


wrestling  with  the  Lord  on  their  behalf,  and  on  behalf 
of  all  the  Indian  nations  ;  and  while  the  fitful  blasts  of 
jthe  autumn  wind  bore  to  his  ears  the  shouts  of  inebri- 
'ated  savages,  he  lifted  up  the  voice  of  impassioned  inter- 
cession until  his  lonely  tent  echoed  with  the  fervent 
|eftectual  prayer  of  a  righteous  man.  And  these  suppli- 
cations availed  much,  according  to  the  promise.  Not  at 
that  time,  but  in  after-years,  when  some  of  the  most 
desperate  characters  among  the  Indians  were  led  into 
the  church  of  God;  and  Zoisberger  established  flourish- 
ing missions  among  the  "grandfathers"  of  the  Shaw- 
anese,  and  gained  single  converts  from  the  midst  even 
of  this  wild  people.  Narrow  minds  may  deem  the  phi- 
lanthropy of  Zinzendorf  misapplied,  and  may  call  his 
visits  to  the  Indians  quixotic ;  but  the  student  of  the 
Bible,  who  sees  history  in  its  light,  does  not  entertain 
a  doubt  that  this  man,  as  he  sojourned  among  the  abo- 
rigines of  America,  was  the  priest  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  and  secured  a  blessing  which,  in  due  time, 
ripened  into  fruits. 

A  proof  of  this  was  the  prosperity  of  the  Mission  at 
Shekomeko.  The  converts  fulfilled  the  highest  hopes 
of  their  teachers.  John  especially  was  a  living  monu- 
ment of  grace,  and  an  enthusiastic  preacher  of  righteous- 
ness. According  to  their  unanimous  testimony,  his  elo- 
jquence  was  irresistible.  Bishop  Spangenberg  used  to 
Isay  of  him  that  he  had  the  countenance  of  a  Luther. 

On  the  thirteenth  of  March,  1743,  the  converts  re- 
jceived  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  for  the  first 
[time,  and  in  July  a  chapel  was  dedicated.    This  little 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


117 


sanctury,  nestling  in  the  shade  of  the  Stissing  Moun- 
tain, whose  leafy  top  is  mirrored  in  the  clear  waters  of 
Lake  Halcyon,  became  the  center  of  a  work  that  spread 
rapidly  among  the  tribes  of  New  England  and  of  Eastern 
New  York.     At  the  end  of  the  year  there  were  sixty^ 
three  baptized  converts  at  Shekomcko,  while  new  sta- ' 
tions  had  been  begun  at  Pachgatgoch  and  Wechquad- ; 
nach,  in  Connecticut,  and  preaching-places  at  Whetak 
and  Potatik  in  the  same  Province,  as  also  at  Westenhuc,,. 
in  Massachusetts.     Four  additional  missionaries  entered 
the  field.     These  were   Christopher  Pyrlaeus,  Martin' 
Mack,  Joachim  Senseman,  and  Frederick  Post* 

The  settlers  were  astonished  when  they  saw  all  this. 
Some  rejoiced  in  the  work ;  others,  however,  opposed  it 
with  great  bitterness.     Among  the  latter,  a  part  were/ 
actuated  by  the  pernicious  idea  that  their  traffic  with  the  \ 
natives  would  suffer  if  they  were  converted, — a  part 
gave  way  to  sectarian  bigotry.     In  the  spring  of  1744,  | 
a  formidable  persecution  broke  out.    The  missionariesi 


1  Pachgatgoch  lay  two  miles  southwest  of  Kent,  in  Connecticut,  and 
TVechquadnach  on  the  confines  of  New  York  and  Connecticut,  partly  in 
a  tract  known  as  "  the  Oblong,"  and  partly  in  Sharon  Township,  Litch- 
field County,  Connecticut,  a  few  miles  from  the  town  of  Sharon.  Whe- 
tak was  near  Salisbury,  and  Potatik  about  three  miles  northeast  of 
Newton,  Connecticut.  Westenhuc  was,  probably,  the  present  Housa- 
tonic,  in  Massachusetts.  The  inhabitants  of  these  villages  were  Narra- 
gansetts,  Mohicans,  and  Wampanoags.  In  1859,  the  Moravian  His-  I 
torical  Society  erected  a  marble  monument  at  Pachgatgoch,  to  the 
memory  of  David  Bruce  and  Joseph  Powell,  two  of  the  former  mis- 
sionaries. 

The  Mission  at  Shekomeko  was  located  on  what  is  now  (1859)  Mr. 
Edward  Hunting's  farm,  in  the  Township  of  Pino  Plains,  Dutchess 
County,  New  York.— TAc  Moravians  hi  Neic  York  and  Connecticut. 


fw. 


<a. 


y-^ 


■jir 


(si 


i-.i  ''i''    w 


:b:i 


w 


118 


Life  and  times  of 


were  accused  of  being  Papists,  iu  L-^ague  with  France, 
which  had  just  joined  Spain  in  its  war  against  England. 
A  Justice  of  the  Peace  was  sent  to  Shekomeko  to  inves- 
tigate these  charges,  and  subsequently  the  missionaries 
were  cited  before  the  Governor  and  Council  of  New 
York.     Their  innocence,  however,  was  invariably  estrb- 
lished.     The  only  thing  which  could  be  shown  to  their 
prejudice  was  their  scruples  with  regard  to  oaths  and 
bearing  arras,  points  which,  at  that  time,  they  held  in 
i  common  with  the  Friends.     Nevertheless  their  enemies 
i  did  not  rest  until  the  Assembly  of  New  York  had  passed 
I  two  acts  which  crushed  the  Mission.     The  first  required 
•  all  suspicious  persons  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance,  or 
emigrate ;  the  second  commanded  "  the  several  Mora- 
vian and  vagrant  teachers  among  the  Indians  to  desist 
from  further  teaching  or  preaching,  and  to  depart  the 
Province."' 

On  the  fifteenth  of  December,  the  Sherifi'  of  Dutchess 

'County  came  to  Shekomeko,.  with  three  Justices  of  the 

Peace,  and  closed  the  doors  of  the  Mission  Chapel.    The 

missionaries  were  recalled  early  in  the  following  year. 

They  left  behind  them  seventy-one  converts. 


'  Documentary  Hist,  of  li.  V.  iii.  1019  and  1020.  The  same  work  con- 
tains various  other  papers,  especially  "  Reasons  for  passing  the  luw 
against  the  Moraviiuis  residing  among  the  Indians,"  which  show  the 
inveterate  prejudice  that  existed  against  the  Church, 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


119 


CHAPTER    YI. 


ZEISBERGER  A  STUDENT  AT  BETHLEHEM,  A  PRISONER  AT  NEW 
YORK,  AND  AN  ENVOY  TO  ONONDAGA.— ir4l-1745. 

Bishop  Spangonborg. — His  plans  for  the  development  of  the  Indian 
Mis.^ion. — Zeisborg''''  a  prominent  member  of  a  class  of  candidates 
for  missionary  service.  —  Sent  to  the  Mohawk  country  to  learn  tho 
language.  —  Arrested  by  tho  authorities  of  New  York  and  impris- 
oned.—  Tho  first  Delaware  converts. — Zoisberger  on  the  Mahony 
Creek,  in  Pennsylvania. — Ho  accompanies  S})angenberg  to  Onon- 
daga.— Perilous  journey. — Adopted  into  tho  Onondaga  nation  and 
calli'u  Ganoussera-heri. — Negotiations  at  Onondaga  and  journey  back 
to  BethlelKm. 

The  Moravians  were  not  discouraged,  but  continued* 
their  missionary  efibrts  with  zeal,  stimulated  by  Bishop  ! 
Spangenberg,   who    had  returned  to   America  in  the 
autumn  of  1744. 

This  accomplished  scholar  and  simple-hearted  preacher 
was  peculiarly  fitted  for  his  ofiice.  A.^rofessor  of  the. 
University  of  Ilalle,  an^  evangelist  in  different  parts  of 
Euroj^jc,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  German  colony  in 
Georgia,  an  itinerant  among  the  numerous  sects  of 
Pennsylyania, — he~had  passed  through  a  school  of 
experience  which  taught  him  to  become  all  things  to 
all  men,  to  ^^-^ar  no  reproach,  shrink  from  no  difiiculties,: 
and  tremble  at  no  dangers.  Strong  in  faith,  bold  in 
God,  burning  with  love  to  Christ, — the  purpose  of  his 
whole  life  was  Christ's  glory. 


c 


^. 


y  1  >  ■  ;■ 


120 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


One  of  his  first  measures  was  the  organization  of  a 
Mission  Board,  at  Bethlehem.*  Its  meetings  were 
attended  by  such  missionaries  as  happened  to  be  in 
the  settlement;  and,  influenced  by  these,  it  began  to 

-accommodate  itself  to  the  usages  of  the  Indians, 
;adopted  their  forms  of  address  when  negotiating  with 

ithem,  delivered  written  speeches,  and  employed  belts  or 

;  strings  of  wampum. 

;  The  next  step  which  Spangenberg  took  was  no  less 
important.  He  instituted  a  class  of  candidates  ^for 
missionary  service,  appointing  Christopher  Pyrlaeus^  as 

: their  instructor   in  the  Indian   languages.'^     Pyrlaeus 

:had  studied  the  Mohawk  tongue,  partly  among  the 
Mohawks  themselves  and  partly  with  Conrad  Weisser. 

"'  Prominent  among  these  young  men  was  David  Zeis- 
berger.  In  the  corner-stone  of  that  venerable  edifice 
at  Bethlehem,  which  was  originally  a  "Brethren's 
House,"  and  which  still  attracts  the  attention  of  the 
stranger  by  its  quaint  architecture,  massive  buttresses, 
and  walls  of  unhewn  stone,  was  deposited  a  scroll  of 


1  It  was  called  the  "  Mission  Conference,"  and  was  subsequently 
absorbed  by  the  Provincial  Conference  which  governed  the  Moravian 
Church  in  America,  and  which  boro  different  names  at  diflerent  times. 
As  these  ecclesiastical  arr"ngcments  of  the  Moravians,  in  the  last 
century,  were  exceedingly  complicated,  I  employ  the  title  "  Mission 
Board"  throughout  this  work,  for  the  sake  of  convenience. 

'  Spangenberg's  Observatiotis  on  the  Evangelization  0/  the  Heathen  in 
North  America.  MS.  B.  A.  The  following  wore  members  of  this  class: 
David  Zcisberger,  Joseph  Bull,  known  as  John  Joseph  Schebosh,  Michael 
Schnall,  Joseph  Moller,  Abraham  Bueninger,  and  John  Hagen. 

John  Christopher  Pyrlaeus  was  born  at  Pausa,  in  Swabia,  in  1713, 
studied  at  the  University  of  Leipsic,  and  died  at  Ilerrnhut,  May  28, 
1785.     He  married  a  daughter  of  Stephen  Benezet,  of  Philadelphia. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


121 


parchment  containing  the  names  of  the  first  inmates, 
and  among  these  names  his  was  recorded  as  follows : 
David  Zeisberger,  destinirter  Heidenbote  (1744).* 

In  the  beginning  of  tlie  year  1745,  he  set  out  for  the  \ 
Mohawk  valley,  accompanied   by   Frederick  Post,^  m 
order  to  perfect  himself  in  the  knowledge  of  the  Mohawk 
tongue.     On  the  way,  they  stopped  at  Shekomeko.    jt^ 
was  Zeisberger's  first  visit  to  the  Indian  country;  and 
his  desire  to  preach  to  the  natives  was  intensified  when  . 
he   beheld  Job,   once   debased  almost  to  brutishness, 
walking  with  God,  a  patriarch  among  his  people,  and 
heard  the  glad  testimony  of  many  other  converts.     The 


'  That  is :  David  Zeisberger,  destined  to  be  a  Messenger  to  the  Heathen, 
The  edifice  referred  to  is  the  southwest  corner-building  of  the  present  \ 
"Sisters'  House."     In  that  house  the  young  'nen  of  the  s'^ttlcment  lived    , 
together  under  the  supervision  of  an  elder,  devoting  themselves  either  i 
to  their  studies  or  working  at  trades.     Thcj   had  a  common  dinii.:'-  ' 
room,  and  daily  worship  in  a  chapel  of  their  own.     Similar  establish-  ( 
meats  for  young  men,  young  women,  and  widows  formerly  existed  in  I 
every  Moravian  settlement.     There  was  nothing  monastic  in  the  prin-  / 
ciples  by  which  they  were  governed.     They  were  simply  homes,  where  j 
the  inmates   remained  at  their  option,  and  were  bound  by  no  vow. , 
These  institutions  have  all  been  given  up  in  America ;  in  Germany, 
however,  tliey  are  still  to  be  found.  "^ 

Whenever  Zeisberger  was  at  Bethlehem  he  lived  in  that  building 
from  1744  to  1748;  after  that  he  occupied  a  room  in  the  new  "  Breth- 
ren's House,"  which  was  the  middle  building  of  the  present  Moravian 
Seminary  for  Young  Ladies. 

2  FredorkJj  JPostj  born.  &>  C.ouit;^,  in,  Polish  Prussia,  wivsa^dijUn^  ^ 
guished  mJaaionary.  amnng,  the  Indiansj  with  ^yhom  he  wft?  comiected 
by  marriage.  Uis  first  w]fo  was  Rachel,  a  Wampanpag,  baptized  Feb-  , 
ruary  13,  1743,  by  BUttner ;  and  died  in  1747,  at  Bethlehem,  where  she 
lies  buried.  In  1749,  he  married  Agnes,  a  Delaware,  baptized  by 
Cammerhoflf,  March  5,  1749.  She  died  in  1751,  at  Bethlehem.  His 
third  wife  was  a  white  woman.  Post  eventually  left  the  service  of  the 
Moravian  Church.     He  died  at  Germantown,  Pa. 


^; 


m 


n 

If-! 
V:' 


N  i  i  ]■ 


l' 


d  .:4k 


il''»  - 


122 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OP 


missionaries  had  been  forbidden  to  continue  their  work, 
but  they  remained  at  the  station  ministering  to  one  of 
their  own  number,  Gottlob  BUttner,  who  was  wasting 
under  the  blight  of  an  incurable  disease.  After  his 
death  (February  23,  1745),  they  left  Shekomeko  in  a 
body.^ 

Meantime  Zeisberger  and  Post,  together  with  Rachel, 
who  had  here  joined  them,  proceeded  to  Freehold,  and 
thence  to   "William's  Fort.     It   was   a  time  of  great 
excitement,   both  in    New  England  and   New    York. 
The  one  was  preparing  an  expedition  against  Louis- 
burg  ;  the  other  rang  with  a  false  report  of  the  disaf- 
fection of  the  Iroquois.     The  suspicions  of  the  garrison 
were  awakened  at  seeing  two  young  men,  unprovided 
with  passports,  and  coming  from  a  Church  accused  of 
sympathy  with  the  French,  on  their  way  to  the  Indian 
country.     A  rigid  exnnanation  was  instituted  by  some 
of  the  soldiers,  although  without  authority;    but,  as 
nothing  appeared  to  prove  them  spies,  they  were  al- 
lowed to  go  on.     At  Canajoharie,  Hendrick,  the  illus- 
i  trious  King  of  the  Mohawks,'*  bowing  low  to  the  salu- 
Hation  from  Pyrlaeus  which  they  brought  him,  received 
Hbem  into  his  lodge,  and  consented  to  instruct  Zeisberger 
[in  the  language. 

'  Biittner  was  turied  at  Shekomeko.  A  marble  monument,  erected 
in  1859  by  the  Moravian  Historical  Society,  marks  his  grave,  in  a  field 
on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Edward  Hunting. 

y  »  Soi^ngaralita,  or  King   Hendrick,   the  principal  sachem  of   the 
\  Mohawks,  wa§^._bl&Kg..a"rrJor,  and  a  warm  friend  of  England,  which 
/country  he  visited,  and  where  he  had  an  audience  of  King  George.    Ho 
was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Lake  George,  September  8,  1755. 


HI 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


123 


Intelligence  of  their  visit  had,  meantime,  been  trans- 
mitted to  Albany,  from  "William's  Fort.  Ten  days  after 
their  arrival,  as  they  were  about  going  into  the  forest  to 
chop  wood,  two  strangers  met  them  at  the  door,  but 
precipitately  retreated  when  they  saw  their  hatchets. 
Upon  their  return,  however,  thej'  were  invited  to  a 
neighboring  house,  and  there  found  the  same  men,  who, 
displaying  a  warrant  from  the  Mayor  of  Albany,  re- 
ceived them  with  the  announcement,  ""VVe  are  con- 
stables, and  you  are  our  prisoners !"  This  arrest  filled 
the  town  with  indignation.  "Your  poople,"  said  Hen- 
drick,  "  have  just  settled  their  disputes  with  us,  and  now 
you  begin  a  new  quarrel !  You  deserve  to  be  killed  !" 
Such  a  threat  induced  the  redoubtable  officers  of  the 
law,  who  had  scarce  recovered  from  the  shock  produced 
by  two  domestic  hatchets,  to  hurry  their  prisoners  into 
a  sleigh  and  speed  to  Albany. 

There  Mayor  Schuyljr  sent  them  to  the  Court  House, 
to  be  examined  by  the  magistrates.  In  the  course  of 
the  inquest  '•  many  filthy  and  scornful  questions"  were 
proposed  to  them,  the  Justices  "  laughing  among  them- 
selves," until  Zeisberger  with  grave  dignity  remarked: 
"  We  hope  the  Honorable  Magistrates  will  behave  more 
discreetly,  and  beg  they  will  forbear  asking  us  such-like 
questions."  This  silenced  their  ribaldry.  They  "  seemed 
as  if  they  were  asham  ;d ;"  and  the  missionaries,  having 
avowed  themselves  to  ie  loyal  subjects  of  King  George, 
but,  on  conscientious  grounds,  declined  to  swear  an 
oath  of  allegiance,  were  permitted  to  retire  to  private 
lodgings.    Early  the  next  morning,  however,  came  a 


! 


I  i 


yu 


124 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


m 


corporal  and  four  soldiers  with  loaded  muskets,  and 
marched  them  through  the  streets — "as  though  we  v;ere 
the  vilest  malefactors,"  saj'S  Zeisberger — to  the  castle, 
where  Captain  Rutherforth  committed  them  to  the  safe- 
keeping of  a  guard,  with  orders  to  convey  them  to  New 
York.  To  their  inquiries  respecting  the  offense  of 
which  they  were  accused,  he  could  give  them  no  in- 
formation, except  that  they  had  refused  the  oath  of 
allegiance.  The  Mayor's  parting  words,  although  they, 
too,  contained  no  answer  to  their  question,  were  more 
explicit.  "  If  you,  or  any  of  your  Brethren,"  said  he, 
"  come  here  again  without  a  pass  from  the  Governor,  I 
will  have  you  whipped  out  of  town  !"  Nor  would  he 
permit  Rachel  to  accompany  them,  until  Zeisberger 
pleaded  in  her  behalf,  and  then  he  consented  only  on 
condition  of  her  traveling  as  fast  as  the  guard.  The 
whole  party  being  afoot,  this  was  impossible,  and,  by 
noon  of  the  first  day,  she  was  obliged  to  leave  her 
husband,  auu  take  her  wav  alone  to  Shekomeko. 

At  New  York  they  were  confined  in  the  jail  of 
City  Hall.  A  note,  which  they  dispatched  to  Thomas 
Noble,  a  merchant  of  the  city,  brought  him  to  their 
assistance;  while  Peter  Boehler  and  Anthony  Sey- 
fert,  who  were  waiting  for  a  ship  to  carry  them  to 
England,  hastened  to  confer  with  them,  but  only  by 
letter,  from  prudential  motives.'    They  likewise   sent 


iliii-" 


>  The  original  letter  is  extant  (MS.  B.  A.)  which  Boehler  and  Seyfert 
conjointly  wrote  to  the  two  prisoners,  in  English,  and  which  they  were 
permitted  to  read,  after  it  had  been  carefully  inspected  by  tho  Sheriff. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


125 


Henry  Van  Vleck  to  Bethlehem,  to  notify  the  Board  of 
what  had  occurred.* 

The  news  soon  spread  through  the  city,  and  excited 
much  comment.  "  There  appears,  however,"  writes 
Boeliler  to  Spangeuberg,  "to  be  more  indignation 
against  the  government  than  suspicion  of  our  Church ; 
although  some  persons,  I  am  told,  have  declared  that 
they  would  bo  glad  to  act  as  hangmen  in  the  event  of 
the  execution  of  our  two  brethren  as  spies."^ 

On  the  following  day  (February  23d)  the  prisoners 
were  cited  before  Governor  Clinton  and  his  Council. 
"We  remembered,"  says  Zeisberger,  "the  words  of  our 
Saviour:  'Ye  shall  be  brought  before  governors  and 
kings  for  my  sake ;  but  when  they  deliver  you  up,  take 
no  thought  how  or  what  ye  shall  speak :  for  it  shall  be 
given  you  in  that  same  hour  what  ye  shall  speak." 
And  we  trusted  in  the  Saviour  that  He  would  make  good 
His  words." 

Zeisberger  was  examined  first,  and  alone.  After 
several  preliminary  questions,  with  regard  to  his  birth- 


1;  i! 


It  conveyed  the  warmest  sympathy  of  the  writers,  without  expressing 
any  opinion  upon  the  course  of  the  government.  Zeisberger  writes  in 
his  Journal,  that  when  Post  and  he  had  perused  this  communication, 
they  "rejoiced  and  were  exceedingly  happy." 

1  Henry  Van  Vleck  (born  at  New  York,  September  17,  1722)  was  a 
clerk  in  Thomas  Noble's  store,  and  sub.iequently  became  a  prominent 
mnmbor  of  the  Church  and  her  Mission  Agent  in  New  York.  His 
house  w'lS  the  resort  of  the  missionaries.  In  1773  he  moved  to  Beth- 
lehem, where  he  died,  January  25,  1785.  Thomas  Noble  was  one  of  the 
original  members  of  the  Moravian  Church  in  New  York. 

'  Bochler's  original  letter  to  Spangenberg.     MS.  B.  A. 

»  Matthew,  x.  18  and  19. 


126 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


Pi 


'■■''.'<i 


place  and  arrival  in  America,  the  examination  continued 
as  follows: 

"How  long  have  you  been  in  this  government?" 

"  Since  last  New  Year's  Day,  when  we  passed  through 
here." 

"  How  far  up  did  you  go  into  the  country  ?" 

"As  far  as  Canajoharie." 

"Who  sent  you  thither?" 

"Our  Church." 

"What  church  is  that?" 

"  The  Protestant  Church  of  the  United  Brethren." 

"Do  you  all  do  what  she  commands  you  ?" 

"  With  our  whole  heart !" 

"  But  if  she  should  command  you  to  hang  yourselves, 
or  to  go  among  the  Indians  and  stir  them  up  against  the 
white  people,  would  you  obey  in  this?" 

"  No,  I  can  assure  your  Excellency  and  the  whole 
Council   that   our    Church    never    had    any   such    de- 


signs. 


"What  did  she  command  you  to  do  among  the 
Indians  ?" 

"To  learn  their  language." 

"  Can  you  learn  the  language  so  soon  ?" 

"  I  have  already  learned  somewhat  of  it  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  I  went  up  to  improve  myself" 

"What  use  will  you  make  of  this  language?  What 
is  your  design  when  you  have  perfected  yourself  in  it? 
You  must  certainly  have  a  reason  for  learning  it." 

"  We  hope  to  get  liberty  to  preach  among  the  Indians 
the  Gospel  of  our  crucified  Saviour,  and  to  declare  to 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


127 


them  what  we  have  personally  experienced  of  His  grace 
in  our  hearts." 
"Did    you    preach    while    you    were    among    them 

now?" 

"No,  I  had  no  design  to  preach,  but  only  to  learn 
their  language." 

""Were  you  not  at  "William's  Fort?  "Why  did  you 
not  stay  there  ?" 

"  "We  were  there,  but  finding  no  Indians,  as  they  had 
all  gone  hunting,  we  went  farther.'* 

"But  their  wives  and  children  were  at  home;  you 
could  have  learned  of  them." 

"  That  was  not  proper  for  me,  being  a  single  mar>." 

"You  will  give  an  account  to  your  Church,  when 
you  come  home,  of  the  condition  of  the  country  and 
land?" 

"  I  will.  "Why  should  I  not  ?  But  we  do  not  con- 
cern ourselves  about  that  land ;  we  have  land  enough  of 
our  own — we  do  not  need  that." 

"  You  observed  how  mary  cannon  are  in  the  fort,  how 
many  soldiers  and  Indians  in  the  castle,  and  how  many 
at  Canajoharie  ?" 

"  I  was  not  so  much  as  within  the  fort,  and  I  did  not 
think  it  w^orth  while  to  count  the  soldiers  or  the  In- 
dians." 

"  "Whom  do  you  acknowledge  for  your  king  ?" 

"King  George  of  England." 

"But  when  you  go  up  among  the  French  Indians, 
who  is  your  king  there  ?" 

"  I  never  yet  had  any  mind  to  go  thither." 


128 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


> 

J 

1 

'    ■' 

&•>  ■ 

'[  • 

"  Will  you  and  your  companion  swear  to  be  faithful 
subjects  of  King  George,  acknowledge  him  as  your  sov- 
ereign, and  abjure  the  Pope  and  his  adherents  ?" 

"  We  own  ourselves  to  be  King  George's  faithful  sub- 
jects ;  we  acknowledge  him  as  our  sovereign ;  we  can 
truly  certify  that  we  have  no  connection  at  all  with  the 
Pope  and  his  adherents,  and  no  one  who  knows  anything 
of  us  can  lay  this  to  our  charge.  With  regard  to  the 
oath,  however,  I  beg  leave  to  say  that  we  are  not  inhab- 
itatts  of  this  government,  but  travelers,  and  hope  to 
enjoy  the  same  privilege,  which  is  granted  in  other 
English  Colonies,  of  traveling  unmolested  without  taking 
the  oath." 

"  You  design  to  teach  the  Indians,  and  we  must  have 
the  assurance  that  you  will  not  teach  them  disaftection 
to  the  King." 

"  But  wc  have  come  at  this  time  with  no  design  to 
teach." 

"Our  laws  require  that  all  travelers  in  this  govern- 
ment shall  swear  allegiance  to  the  King,  and  have  a 
license  from  the  Governor." 

"  I  never  before  this  heard  of  such  a  law  in  any  coun- 
try or  kingdom  of  the  world !" 

"  Will  you  or  will  you  not  take  the  oath  V 

"I  will  not." 

Having  put  some  other  unimportant  questions,  the 
Council  dismissed  Zeisberger  and  examined  Post.  Then 
Zeisberger  was  recalled,  and  the  secretary  read  to  him 
the  new  act  against  the  Moravians. 

"  Do  you  understand  this?"  he  continued. 


DAVID  ZEISBEROER. 


129 


(( 


Most  of  it,  but  not  all,"  replied  Zeisberger. 

"Will  you  take  the  oath  now  ?" 

"  I  hope  the  Honorable  Council  will  not  force  me  to 
do  it." 

"  AVe  will  not  constrain  you ;  you  may  let  it  alone  if 
it  is  against  your  conscience  ;  but  you  will  have  to  go  to 
prison  again." 

"I  am  content." 

Zeisberger's  request  to  be  informed  of  the  crime  laid 
to  his  charge  was  met  with  the  sententious  remark,  that 
it  would  be  too  late  to  take  measures  against  a  crime 
after  it  had  been  committed.  "  We  must  prevent  the 
mischief,"  said  a  far-sighted  counselor,  "  before  it  is 
brought  about."  The  ofter  which  the  Council,  finally, 
made  to  set  him  and  Post  at  liberty,  if  they  would  give 
security  to  appear  at  the  next  term  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  they  held  under  advisement.  Meantime  they 
were  remanded  to  jail.  There  *hey  were  visited,  the 
next  morning,  by  Boehler  and  Seyfert,  who  told  them 
to  await  instructions  from  Bethlehem. 

The    Mission    Board    had    appealed    to    influential 
friends  of  the   Church   in   Pennsylvania.      But  sevens 
weeks  passed  by  before  the  expected  response  came, 
during  w^hich  period  the  young  men  remained  in  con 
finement.     Zeisberger  devoted  the  time  to  the  study  of 
the  Mohawk,  assisted  by  Post.    Both  were  content  to  ) 
wait.     "We  count  it  a  great  honor,"  writes  the  former,! 
"to  suft'er  for  the  Saviour's  sake,  although  the  world) 
cannot  understand  this."     While   in  prison  tJiey  saw) 

many  visitors.    Not  only  Moravians  came  frequently,- 

9  "  ^' 


,1  , 

r;/ 


^i'.. 


/^' 


•/- 


^ 


I    ! 


130 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


'it  ('■ 


and,  among  these,  Nathaniel  Seidel/  as  a  special  mcs- 
senger  of  the  Board ;  but  strangers  from  the  city  and 
various  parts  of  the  Province  called  upon  them  nearly 
every  day.  Their  extraordinary  cheerfulness  deeply 
impressed  such  persons;  and  many  who  had  been  loud 
in  their  denunciations  of  "Moravian  priests,"  and 
"  vagrant,  strolling  preachers,"  became  convinced  that 
they  were  victims  of  groundless  mistrust  and  religious 
bigotry. 

At  last,  on  the  eighth  of  April,  they  were  enabled  to 
send  a  petition  to  Governor  Clinton,  covering  certifi- 
cates in  their  favor  from  Conrad  Weisser  and  Governor 
Thomas,   of  Pennsylvania,  and  praying  to   be   set  at 
/liberty.     These  documents  were  considered  in  Council, 
ion  the  same  day.     An  order  tollowed,  relieving  them 
ifrom  confinement,  "  on  paying  their  fees,"  and  permit- 
ting them  to  return  to  Bethlehem.     On  the  tenth  the 
Sheritf  declared  them  free.     Inscribing  several  verses, 
',  from  their  German  Hymn  Book,  on  the  walls  of  their 
'!  room,  as  an  expression  of  their  faith   in   God,  they 
1  betook  themselves   to   the    house  of   Thomas  Noble, 
\  and  reached  Bethlehem  on  the  sixteenth.* 


1  Nathaniel  Seidel  was  born  October  2,  1718,  at  Lauban,  in  Saxony, 
and  lamc  to  America  in  1742,  where  he  filled  various  ofBces,  among 
others  that  of  "  Elder  of  the  Pilgrims,"  or  Superintendent  of  the  Itin- 
erating Missionaries  of  the  Church.  In  this  capacity  he  spent  many 
years  in  traveling,  going  as  fr.r  as  the  West  Indies  and  South  America. 
In  1758,  he  was  consecrateci  bishop,  and,  in  17(11,  succeeded  Bishop 
Spangenberg  as  President  of  the  Mission  Board. 

'  Copy  of  Petition ;  Copy  of  the  Order  of  Release ;  Letter  from 
Conrad  Weisser  to  Spangenbcr^r ;  and  Zeis'jerger's  Journal.  MSS. 
B.  A. 


DA  VID  ZEISBKROKR. 


131 


This  exporieuco  belonged  to  the  prcpariitions  whicli 
fitted  Zeiaberger  for  the  career  of  a  missionary.  It; 
taught  him  one  of  the  most  essential  conditions  of, 
success.  Descended  from  a  Church  of  martyrs,  the/ 
faith  of  his  fathers  was  called  into  exercise;  and  he\ 
was  thenceforth  ready  to  sufi'er  reproacli,  or  even  toj 
lose  his  life,  in  the  cause  which  he  had  espoused. 

A  few  days  after  his  return,  the  first  converts  from) 
the  Delaware  nation,  a  chief  of  the  Turtle  Tribe  and ;' 
his  wife,  were  baptized  at  Bethlehem.  They  came  from 
Waraphallobank,  and,  belonging  to  a  family  of  distinc- 
tion, their  baptism  caused  sucli  a  sensation  among  their 
kindred  that  thirty-six  warriors  marched  to  the  settle- 
ment, in  order  to  carry  them  ofl:'  by  force.  But  the 
testimony  of  the  converts,  and  the  friendly  welcome 
of  the  inhabitants,  disarmed  them  of  their  design. 

The  Board  had  not  forgotten  the  Mission  at  Sheko- 
meko.  A  project  wa^  set  on  foot  to  transfer  it  to  the 
valley  of  Wyoming.  This  necessitated  negotiations 
with  the  Iroquois  Confederacy,  to  whose  dependencies  \ 
Wyoming  belonged,  and  Bishop  Spangenberg  deter-  j 
mined  to  visit  Onondaga  in  person.  Zeisberger  and 
Schebosh*  were  appointed  his  associates. 


1  John  Joseph  Schcbosh,  as  ho  was  universally  called,  although  hif^< 


real__name  was  Joseph  Bull^-r-SchcbosiL  (Eunning  Water)  being  tht/, 
name  given  him  by  the  Indians,  and  John  the  name  bestowed  upoil 
him  when  ho  was  baptized  as  an  adult, — was  born  of  Quaker  parents,' 
May  27, 1721,at  Skippack,  Pa.,  and  joined  the  Moravian  Church  in  1742, 
receiving  baptism  at  the  hands  of  Andrew  Eschenbach,  September  15, 
1742.  He  married  Christiana,  a  Sopus  Indian,  baptized  by  xMartin  Mackf 
(July  24,  1746),  and  devoted  his  life  to  the  service  of  the  Indian  Mis-J 
sion.    He  died  in  Ohio. — See  chapter  xL 


•h 


■•PWaUP 


1- 


132 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


m^ 


m 


J 


\ 


>/ 


y 


^K' 


(V 


'y 


They'  set  out  on  horseback  (May   24th),  and  pro- 
ceeded, by  way  of  the  Heidelberg  settlements,  to  Tul- 
pehoeken,  where  they  were  joined  by  Conrad  "Weisser, 
who   had   been   commissioned   by  the  government  of 
Pennsylvania  to  treat  with  the  Six  Nations.     The  place 
of   rendezvous   was   Shamokin.      There   they   spent   a 
!iweek,  preaching   the    Gospel   to    the   Indians  and  to 
]  Madame    Montour,  who    had    recently   taken   up  her 
'abode  in  the  village. 

On-  the  seventh  of  June,  the  whole  party,  to  which 

had    now    been    added    Shikellimy,   one    of  hie    sons, 

and  Andrew  Montour,  took  the  trail  for  Onondaga. 

/Crossing    the   Susquehanna,    they    followed    its    West 

I  Branch,  and  passed  th(   tirst  night  in  the  "Warrior's 

!  Camp." 

;      It  was  the  custom  of  the  Moravian  missionaries,  in 
those  days,  when  passing  through  the  wilderness,  to 
give  to  their  camping-grounds  names,  the  initials  of 
which  were    carved   on   trees,  and   remained   as  land- 
marks for  other  evangelists.     In  the  couise  of  time, 
the  valleys  of  the  Susquehanna,  and  the  forests  of  New 
j  York,  were  full  of  these  mementoes  of  pious  zeal ;  and 
:  as  the  localities  were  described  in  the  journals  of  the 
;  itinerants,  and    the    appellations    used    by  subsequent 
?  visitors,  a  geographical  nomenclature  grew  into  exist- 
ence which  was  peculiarly  Moravian.^ 


1  Spaiigcnberg'p,  Journal  of  tho  Tour  to  Onondapra.     MS.  B.A.     The 
original  notes,  taken  on  the  way,  are  extant. 

2  Woissor's  Eeport  to  the  Colonial  Government. — CoL  Records  of  Pa., 
iv.  77&-784. 

3  At  the  present  day,  the  difficulties  of  a  study  of  the  old  topography 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


133 


The  arrival  of  two  Iroquois  warriors,  who  noiselessly  ; 
glided  to  the  tire,  suggested  the  name  for  this  particular  > 
camp.     They  belonged  to  a  band  that  had  been  defeated 
by  the  Catawbas,  escaping  with  nothing  but  their  lives. 
One  of  them,  at  the  request  of  Weisser,  hurried  on  to 
Onondaga,  the  next  morning,  in  order  to  announce  the_; 
coming  of  the  party. 

This  proceeded  more  slowly.  Soon  after  leaving  Os- 
tonwacken,  they  plunged  into  a  fearful  wilderness.  It 
was  that  part  of  Lycoming  County  which  lies  between 
the  Alleghany  and  Laurel  Hill  Mountains.  Even  at 
the  present  day  it  is  a  wild  country ;  of  its  appearance, 
more  than  a  century  ago,  we  can  scarcely  form  a  con- 
ception. The  forests  were  a  broad  waste,  in  many  parts 
impenetrable  to  the  sun ;  thick  underwood  entangled 
the  travelers  on  every  side;  the  ground,  for  miles,  was 
a  morass,  into  which  the  horses  sank  up  to  their  knees ; 
and,  not  unfrequently,  gigantic  trees,  uprooted  by  the 
storm,  were  found  obstructing  the  trail. 

Amid  such  obstacles,  they  pressed  through  the  valley 
of  the  Pine  Creek — called  by  the  Indians  the  Tiadagh- 
ton — and  bivouacked,  in  the  evening"  of  the  tenth,  near 
a  large  salt-lick,  the  resort  of  elk.  While  sitting 
around  the  fire,  the  lurid  glare  of  which  made  the  night 
in  the  surrounding  forest  to  appear  more  profound, 
Shikellimy  and  his  son,  with  the  formalities  usual  on  \ 
such    occasions,  adopted    the   three    envoys    into    thej 


of  tho  country,  from  the  records  of  the  early  missionaries,  uro  enhanced 
in  a  tenfold  degree  by  this  custom.     After  the  Pontiac  Conspiracy  itj 
fell  into  desuetude. 


7 


1.^  i 


I    j 


I  'I 


w 


i  biSl  Ji 


i 


71'  [A.d4^i--0''- 


'\^y' 


-av».i2>c    ..:Tx^  ^>u>:.-'.7' 


■7-<' 


1^" 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


/Iroquois  Confederacy ;  Spangenberg,_ whom  they  named 
/Tgirhitontie,^  into  the  tribe  of  the  Oneidas,  and  the 
( clan  of  .the  Bear,  and  Zeisberger,  who  was  called 
^Ganousseracheri,^  into  the  tribe  of  the  Onondagas,  a_nd 
the  clan  of  the  Turtle.  Schebosh  received  the  name 
jof  Ilajingonis.^ 

Taking,  now,  a  northeasterly  course,  they  passed  the 

source  of  the  Second  Fork  of  Pine  Creek,  in  Tioga 

County,  emerged    from   the    swamps,  and    struck   the 

North   Branch,  below  Tioga    Point.     At  its  junction 

with   the   Chemung,  in  the  small  triangle   formed  by 

the  two  rivers  and  the  northern  extremity  of  Bradford 

( County,  they  found  a  fruitful  tract  upon  which  a  tribe 

(of  Mohicans  had  built  a  village.     "While  preparing  to 

} pitch  their  camp,  a  deputation  of  head  men  came  out 

land  said:  "Brothers!     We  rejoiced  when  we  saw  you 

"approaching;  our  houses  are  swept;  our  beds  are  pre- 

1  pared;  we  have  hung  the  kettle  over  the  fire;   lodge 

!  with  us." 

i 

After  having  enjoyed  this  generous  hospitality,  they 
proceeded  into  that  part  of  the  wilderness  which  is 
now  the  State  of  New  York,  journeyed  three  days 
longer,  in  a  course  north  by  east,  through  Tompkins, 
Cayuga,  and  Onondaga  Counties,  over  wastes  almost  as 
wild  as  those  of  the  Alleghanies,  until,  in  the  afternoon 
of  June  the  seventeenth,  they  reached  the  capital  of  the 
League.     As    this    little    body  of  wayworn  pilgrims, 


1  A  row  of  trees.  a  On  tlio  pumpkin. 

'OpS-M^-l'-'?  -twists    tobacco.     Most  of   tUcmisaioJOHries  were    thus, 
?i£EiteiiW?i  Sl'^Vays  used  their  ladiau  names  when  among  the  IroquoiC 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


135 


with  their  Indian  guides,  moved  into  the  town,  Louis- 
bur^,  in  another  part  of  the  continent,  the  strongest 
fortress  of  North  America,  opened  its  gates  to  an 
undrilled  army  of  New  EngUind  husbandmen  and  me- 
chanics, and  the  Colonies  achieved  a  victory  over 
France  that  filled  the  whole  country  with  joy. 

The  Council  met,  on  the  twentieth,  to   receive  the 
embassy.     Conrad  Weisser  communicated  two  points.* 
First,  in  the  name  of  the  Governors  of  Pennsylvania 
«md  Virginia,  he  invited  deputies  from  the  Six  Nations 
to  a  congress  with   deputies  from  the  Catawbas,  their  ! 
hereditary  enemies,  to    bo    held    at  Williamsburg,  in  i 
order  to  settle  the  ancient  feud   between  the  League  | 
and  this  tribe,  through  the  intervention  of  the  English. ; 
Second,  by  authority  of  the  Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  • 
he  f{<'manded  satisfaction  for  the  murders  perpetrated,  > 
wiii'!'     the    dependencies    of   the   Iroquois,   by   Peter! 
Chart;:     and  his  revolted  Shawanese.     Bishop  Spang- ! 
enberg  proposed  to   renew  the   friendship  established 
with  the  Six  Nations  by  Count  Zinzendorf,  and  ask'^d 
permission  to  begin  a  settlement  for  Christian  Indians^ 
at  Wyoming. 

The  answers  of  the  sachems  were  given  on  the  fol- 
lowing day.  To  Conrad  Weisser  they  said,  that  they 
would  agree  to  an  armistice  with  the  Catawbas  until 
the  spring  of  the  next  year,  when  they  were  willing  to 
treat  with  them  at  Philadelphia,  but  not  at  Williams- 


t- 


1  Pcnn.  Col.  Kocords,  iv.  778,  etc. 

"  A  hiilf-brcc'd  trader  in  the  interests  of  Fruncc,  who  had  incited  tho 
Shawunusc  to  take  up  tho  hatchet  against  the  Colonics. 


136 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


Is.;;-'  ^ 


■■^*   ''. 


If;'  • 


'ii  .:^ 


',*i;!    t'W 


im^vM 


burg;  that  the  whole  League,  with  all  its  chiefs  and 

war-captains,  must  be   consulted,  before   so  important 

a  question  as  a  permanent  peace  with  their  hereditary 

enemies  could  be  settled;    that  they  would  complain 

to  the  Governor  of  Canada  of  the   conduct  of  Peter 

Chartier,  and  secure  satisfaction  for  the  Colonies.     To 

(Bishop  Spangenberg  they  replied,  that  they  were  glad 

'to  renew  their  compact  with  Count  Zinzendorf  and  the 

jBrethren;  and  that  they  gave  their  consent  to  the  pro- 

•posed  settlement  at  Wyoming. 

*'^  The  mission  of  Conrad  Weisser  was  opportune.  If 
he  had  arrived  but  a  week  later,  the  sachems  would 
have  been  in  Canada,  listening  to  the  persuasions  of  the 
Governor,  who  used  e\  ■^»'y  means  to  gain  them  over  to 
his  side.  Now  they  were  pledged  to  neutrality,  and  his 
efltbrts  were  unavailing. 

After  a  stay  of  twelve  days,  the  visitors  began  their 
homeward  journey.  At  the  first  village  they  separated. 
Conrad  "Weisser  and  Andrew  Montour  took  a  circuitous 
trail;  Spangenberg,  Zeisberger,  Schebosh,  Shikellimy 
and  his  son  followed  that  which  had  brought  them_Jo„ 
Onondaga. 

The  experiences  of  this  latter  party  were  even  more 
trying  than  when  they  had  come  that  way  the  first  time. 
Not  only  had  they  to  contend  with  the  same  horrors  of 
the  swamps,  but  a  succession  of  rain-storms  occurred 
that  made  traveling  almost  unendurable  ;  and,  greatest 
calamity  of  all,  their  provisions  failed !  They  braved 
these  hardships  for  eight  days,  until  they  reached  Oston- 
wackeu,  almost  exhausted,  yet  full  of  hope.    A  bitter 


DAVIP  ZEISBERGER. 


137 


disappointment  awaited  them.  There  was  not  a  morsel 
of  food  to  be  had  in  the  village,  and  not  even  a  fire  burn- 
ing in  a  single  lodge.  Riding  on  in  garments  wringiug- 
wet,  and  barely  alleviating  the  worst  pangs  of  hunger 
with  a  few  fishes  which  they  had  caught  in  the  Susque- 
hanna, they  lay  down  on  the  bank  of  the  river  at  noon, 
of  the  seventh  of  July,  utterly  overcome.  They  could 
go  no  farther.  It  was  an  hour  to  try  their  souls.  A 
handful  of  rice  constituted  the  remnant  of  their  pro- 
visions. Faint  and  silent,  the  bishop  and  his  young 
companions  waited  to  see  what  God  would  do;  while 
Shikellimj'  and  his  sou,  with  the  stoicism  of  their  race, 
resigned  themselves  to  their  fate.  Presently  an  aged 
Indian  emerged  from  the  forest,  sat  down  among  them, 
opened  his  pouch,  and  gave  them  a  smoked  turkey. 
When  they  proceeded,  he  joined  their  party,  camped 
with  them  at  night,  and  produced  several  pieces  of  de- 
licious venison.  They  could  not  but  recognize  in  this 
meeting  a  direct  interposition  of  their  Heavenly  Father. 
The  next  day  they  reached  Shamokin,  where  a  trader 
supplied  all  their  wants.^ 

On  their  way  to  this  town  they  came  upon  a  rattle- 
snake nest,  amid  the  hills  of  the  Susquehanna.  At  first 
but  a  few  of  the  reptiles  were  visible,  basking  in  the  sun. 


*  Loskicl,  in  his  History,  and  Hcckewclder,  in  his  Biographical 
Sketch,  both  relate  a  wonderful  drauglit  of  fishes  made  by  Zeisberger, 
at  Spangenbcrg's  request,  in  water  where  fishes  are  not  commonly  found, 
and  say  that  this  saved  the  lives  of  the  party.  This  incident  has  been 
often  quoted  by  other  writers.  It  may  have  occurred,  but  tlicre  is  no 
authority  for  it,  cither  in  Spangenbcrg's  Journal  or  in  his  original  notes ; 
hence  I  omit  it. 


138 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


\l\\ 


*J 


|iS 


No  sooner,  however,  did  thev  kill  these  than  the  whole 
neighborhood  seemed  to  be  alive  with  thera,  and  a  rat- 
tling began  which  was  frightful.  Snakes  crawled  out 
of  holes,  from  crevices  in  the  rocks,  and  between  loose 
stones,  or  darted  from  thickets,  and  lifted  up  their  heads 
above  patches  of  fern,  until  there  was  a  multitude  in 
motion  that  completely  surrounded  the  travelers,  who 
hastened  from  the  spot.  It  was  a  place  where  the  rep- 
tiles had  gathered  in  autumn  and  lain  torpid,  coiled 
together  in  heaps,  during  the  winter. 

Zeisberger  says  that  he  once  met  with  some  Indians 
who  had  found  such  a  nest,  and  set  fire  to  the  dry  leaves 
and  trees  around  it.  The  result,  as  narrated  by  them, 
was  marvelous.  First  a  terrific  concex't  ensued  of  roar- 
ing flames  and  hissing,  rattling  serpents  ;  and  then  these 
came  rolling  down  the  mountain-side,  scorched  to  death, 
in  such  quantities  that  they  would  have  filled  several 
wagons,  while  the  air  was  laden  with  an  intolerable 
stench.' 

'  From  Shamokin,  Spangenberg  and  his  associates  hast- 
ened to  Bethlehem.  When  they  approached  the  ridge 
which  formed  the  boundary  between  the  wilderness  and 
the  settlements,  a  terrific  storm  of  rain  and  hail  burst 
upon  them;  but,  just  as  they  reached  the  top  of  a 
peak  of  the  Second  Mountain,  the  sun  broke  through 
the  clouds  in  all  his  glory,  and  a  rainbow  spanned  the 
firmament.  Greeting  this  gorgeous  arc  as  a  token  of 
God's   mercy  to  His  servants  when  traveling  in    the 


Zeisberger's  MS.  Hist,  of  the  Indians. 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


139 


wilderness,  they  encamped  by  the  dark  waters  of  the 
Swatara.  On  the  following  evening,  they  enjoyed  the 
hospitality  of  Christopher  Weisser's  homestead,  in  Tul- 
pehocken,  and,  two  days  later,  arrived  at  Bethlehem. 

This^toiir  was  anothcrjchool  of  preparation  for  Zeis- j 
bei;ger.     It  made  him  acquainted  with  the  usages  of  the^ 
Indians  at  their  councils,  and  taught  him  to  rely  ever  j 
upon  God,  amid  all  the  hardships  incident  to  his  mis-  ! 
sionary  life. 


! 


140 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


B  '  ■. 


CHAPTER    VII. 


HIS  LABORS  AT  SHAMOKIN  AND  IN  THE  VALLEY  OF  WYOMING— 

1745-1750, 

The  converts  of  Shekomeko  refuse  to  emigrate  to  Wyoming. — 
Friedenshiitton  near  Bethlehem.  —  Gnadcnhiitten  on  the  Mahony. 
— Shamolcin  and  its  smith-shop. — The  principles  of  the  work  among 
the  Indians. — Bishop  Cammerhoff. — Zeisberger  at  Shamokin. — His 
Ii'oquois  Dictionary. — E.\ploration  of  the  two  branches  of  the  Sus- 
quehanna.— Indian  treaties  at  Lancaster  and  Albany. — Peace  of 
Aix-la-Chapelle. — John  de  Wattevillo. — His  tour  to  Shamokin  and 
Wyoming,  witli  Zeisberger  as  his  interpreter. — Conversion  and  death 
of  Shikellimy. — Ordination  of  Zeisberger. — Running  the  gantlet. — 
Indian  treaty  at  Philadelphia. — Council  of  bishops  with  the  sachems 
of  the  Iroquois. — Eenewal  of  the  Missions  in  New  York  and  New 
England. — Act  of  Parliament  in  favor  of  the  Moravians. — General 
prosperity  of  tha  work. 

After  his  return  from  Onondaga,  Zeisberger  devoted 
himself  jinew  to  the  study  of  the  Indian  languages. 
The  following  year  (1746),  however,  brought  him  work 
of  a  different  character. 

Contrary  to  the  expectations  of  the  Board,  the  Indians 
of  Shekomeko  refused  to  emigrate  to  Wyoming.  No 
persuasions  availed.  They  were  as  loath  to  leave  their 
pleasant  homes  at  the  foot  of  the  Stissing,  as  they  were 
afraid  of  the  savages  of  the  Susquehanna.  But  it  soon 
became  evident  that  they  could  not  remain  in  their 
village,  on  account  of  the  increasing  animosity  of 
the  settlers.  Accordingly,  a  temporary  asylum  was 
offered  them  at  Bethlehem.     Ten  families  embraced 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


141 


this  offer,  and   built  a  little  hamlet,  called  Friedens-' 
hUtten,  on   the  slope  and  around  the  base   of  a  hill 
near  the  Lehigh.^    A  tract  of  land  which  the  Church 
had  recently  purchased  on   the  Mahony  Creek,  in  the 
present   Carbon    County,  was  selected  as  a  permanent 
seat  for  the  converts.     Thither  Mack,  Zeisberger,  and 
several  other  young  men,  together  with  a  few  Indians, 
now  proceeded  in  order  to  lay  out  a  town.     It  received, 
the  name  of  Gnadenhlitten.     A  Mission  was  organized 
at  this  place,  in  July,  and  put  in  charge  of  Mack  aud_ 
Rauch.^ 

But  the  Board  discussed  still  another  project.  Sha- 
raokin  was  deemed  to  be  an  important  place  for  a 
missionary  enterprise,  in  view  of  its  metropolitan 
character,  and  its  situation  on  the  prin<  ipal  trail  to  the 
South,  whither  Indians  of  various  nationalities  were 
constantly  going.  To  gain  this  spot  was  to  plant  the 
banner  of  the  Cross  upon  one  of  the  most  formidable 


1  Friedenshuttcn,  or  "Tents  of  Peace,"  lay  on,  and  at  the  base  of, 
the  hill  now  partly  embraced  in  the  grounds  of  the  Moravian  Semi- 
nary for  Young  Ladies  and  partly  within  the  inclosure  of  the  Beth- 
lehem Skating  Park,  including  the  ridge  on  which  the  Gas  Works  havo 
been  erected. 

2  Gnadenhlitten,  orj'  Tents  of  Grace,"  was  built  on  a  part  of  a  tract 
of  land  lying  on  both  sides  of  the  Lehigh  Kivcr,  and  comprising  alto- 
gether about  thirteen  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  purchased  at  seven 
different  times, — the  first  tract  in  1745,  and  the  last  in  1764.  In  1747, 
u  grist-  and  saw-mill  was  erected  on  the  Mahony.  The  original  town 
lay  on  the  declivity  of  the  hill  which  rises  from  the  creek  with  a  gentle 
slope,  and  the  top  of  which  is  still  crowned  with  the  old  grave-yard,  in 
the  outskirts  of  Lehighton.  It  consisted  of  three  streets,  built  in  the 
form  of  parallel  arcs,  and  bisected  by  a  fourth,  in  the  middle  of  which 
stood  the  church. — Plan  of  the  Town.     MS.  B.  A. 


i 


142 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


.!''  t 


m] 


yii 


hi 


strongholds  of  paganism  in  the  land.  The  prospect  of 
success  was,  indeed,  not  encouraging.  Mack  had  spent 
a  part  of  the  autumn   there,   and   found   the  savages 

/averse  to  the  Gospel.     Nevertheless  a  plan,  suggested 

•  by  Conrad  Weisser,  for  securing  a  foothold,  seemed  so 

I  feasible  that  it  was  adopted  in  faith  and  hope. 

^"  Ever  since  the  introduction  of  tire-arms  among  the 
natives  the  smitheries  of  the  white  people  had  been  in 
high  repute,  and  visited  both  by  hunters  and  warriors. 
On  account  of  their  distance  from  the  Indian  country, 
however,  Shikellimy  applied  to  the  Colonial  government 
to  have  one  put  up  at  Shamokin.     The  Board,  by  the 

/advice  of  Weisser  and  with  the  consent  of  the  Gov- 
/ernor,^  undertook  to  fulfill  this  request,  provided  that 
<they  be  allowed,  at  the  same  time,  to  begin  a  Mission. 

^To  this  Shikellimy  agreed.  In  April,  1747,  John  Hagen 
and  Joseph  PowelP  erected  a  shop  and  a  Mission-house. 
The  former  remained  as  resident  missionary,  and  was 
joined,  in  June,  by  Anthony  Schmidt,  who  opened  a 

'.  smithery  in  the  shop.  Hagen's  usefulness,  however, 
came  to  a  speedy  end.     He  died  in   early  autumn. 

i  Mack  succeeded  him. 

The  enlargement  of  the  field  of  labor  demanded  in- 
creased faith  and  new  zeal.  In  February  (1747),  a  gen- 
eral meeting  of  the  Board  and  of  all  its  missionaries  was 


I  Two  letters  from  Charles  Brockden,of  Philadelphia,  to  Spangenberg, 
June  27  and  November  9,  1746.     B.  A. 

/i'2^ Joseph  Powell  was  an  itinerant  missionary,  born  in  Shropshire, 
1  England,  in  1710,  and  died  September  23,  1774,  at  Wechquadnach, 
'Conn.,  where,  in  1859,  the  Moravian  Historical  Society  erected  o 
I  monument  to  his  memory. 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


143 


called,  at  which  the  character  and  claims  of  the  work 
were  discussed.     It  w^as  enthusiastically  resolved  to  carry 
on  the  evangelization  of  the  Indians  in  an  "  apostolical 
manner,"  with  resistless . energy,  to  the  glory  of  God;/ 
and  to  deem  tit  for  this  service  such  men  and  women 
only  as  were  willing  to  lose  their  lives  for  Christ's  sake.^' 
Zeisherger  joyfully  renewed  his  vows  on  the  occasion  of  i 
this  conference. 

Among_it8  members  was  Bishop  Cammerhoff,  Spang' 
euberg's  newly-arrived  assistant.^     Cammerhofl'  was  a  / 
remarkable   man.     An  alumnus  of  the   University  of  I 
Jena^a^bishop  at  the  age  of  twenty-tivc  years,  a  divine  / 
of  rare  scholarship,  conversant,  in  particular,  with  the] 
church-fathers  and  the  various  systems  of  philosophy;  I 
amiable,  devoted  to  the  God-Man,  bold  in  Christ,  and 
ready  to  endure  all  things  for  His  cause;  but  deeply 
tinctured,  too,  with  the  fanaticism  of  the  "  time  of  sift- 
ing;'" he  exercised  great  influence  among  the  Brethren, 


1  Discourse  delivered  by  Spangenberg,  February  6, 1747.    MS.  B.  A. 

'  John  Christoph  Frederic  Cammerhoff  was  born  near  Magdeburg, 
Prussia,  July  28, 1721,  and  arrived  in  America  in  1747. 

»  This  is  the  term  by  which  a  brief  period  of  Moravian  history,  ex- 
tending from  1745  to  1750,  is  generally  known,  during  which  time  sev- 
eral churches  of  Germany  fell  into  fanaticism.  It  consisted  chiefly  in  a 
religious  phraseology  that  was  antiscriptural,  puerile,  and  extravagant. 
The  Saviour's  wounds,  and  especially  the  wound  in  his  side,  were  spirit- 
ualized, and  made  the  subject  of  a  flood  of  hymns  which  often  degen- 
erated into  irreverence.  Through  the  exertions  of  Zinzendorf,  Spangen- 
berg, and  others,  the  evil  was  wholly  suppressed.  It  is  owing  to  this 
temporary  fanaticism  that  such  gross  slanders  wert.  spread  concerning 
the  Moravian  Church,  in  the  last  century,  by  men  like  Eimlus,  and 
works  like  "the  Moravians  Detected,"  and  are  occasionally  revived 
even  at  the  present  day. 


•I 


^11 1 


f:;i 


I 


4      *  ■ 


n^ 


144 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


\'l" 


h 


both  for  good   and  evil.     lie  inspired   ministers  and 
(people  with  enthusiasm  for  the  work  of  the  Lord ;  he 
|led  many  souls  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth  ;  he  gained 
[numerous  converts  among  the  Indians,  and  infused  life 
Unto  all  the  operations  of  the  Chureb.     But  he  also  intro- 
duced the  puerile  sentimentality  which  was  disgracing 
some  of  the  churches  in  Germany,  and,  in  spite  of  Spang- 
euberg's  opposition,  would  have  made  it  to  triumph 
among  American  Moravians  likewise,  had  he  not  been 
removed  by  the  hand  of  death  after  a  service  of  but  lour 
years. 

Zeisbcrger  had  now  acquired  great  fluency  jn^the 
.  •  ..y-^  Mohawk  language,  and,  in  April,  1748,  was  appointed 
\/^'  Mack's  assistant  at  Shamokin.     There  he  began  to  pre- 

5>'^^>^:pare  an  Iroquois  dictionary,  with   Shikellimy  for   his 
^    teacher.     He  found  that  some  ideas  could  not  be  ex- 
;  pressed  by  any  terms  in  use  among  the  natives,  and  was 
'compelled  to  introduce  words  from  the  German  or  the 
fEuglish  in  Indian  idioms. 

In  the  couree  of  the  summer  he  accompanied  Mack 
on  an  exploration  of  the  two  branches  of  tho  Susque- 
hanna. This  tour  showed  him  the  Indian  in  the  depths 
of  misery.  Ostonwacken  lay  deserted  and  in  ruins.  Other 
villages  and  isolated  wigwams,  along  the  West  Branch, 
were  likewise  uninhabited.  After  traveling  for  days, 
they  at  last  found  a  Delaware,  living  on  an  island  cov- 
ered with  rank  grass.  "  Where  are  all  our  brothers 
who  used  to  hunt  along  this  river?"  asked  Zeisberger. 
Lifting  the  blanket  which  covered  the  door  of  his  hut, 
he  pointed,  in  the  way  of  an  answer,  to  several  sufferers 


i  - 


the 


•era 


DAVID  ZEL^BEROER. 


145 


hideous  with  the  small-pox.  This  scourge  was  dopopu- 
liiting  tliern.  Those  that  had  escaped  it  were  begging 
food  iu  the  settlciuents.  The  missionaries  made  similar 
experiences  everywhere.  They  spent  two  days  at  Great 
Island,  surrounded  by  natives  ill  of  the  disease. 
Others  were  starving.  A  kettle  of  boiled  grass  ( oiisti- 
tuted  a  luxury.  Gaunt  figures,  huddled  around  tires, 
ate  voraciously  of  such  food. 

Along  the  North  Branch,  too,  which  they  followed 
as  far  as  Wyoming,  a  dire  famine  was  prevailing.  The 
most  of  the  Indians  were  gone  in  search  of  provisions; 
such  as  were  at  home  scarcely  sustained  life  on  boiled 
tree-bark,  unripe  grapes,  and  roots. 

The  missionaries  went  their  way  sorrowful  and  yet 
rejoicing.  They  mourned  over  the  distress  of  the  na- 
tives. Their  hearts  bled  to  see  misery  of  body  and  soul 
in  so  frightful  a  combination.  But,  for  themselves,  they 
had  peace  in  God ;  and,  as  they  journeyed,  they  sang 
hymns  to  His  praise  until  the  forests  of  the  Susquehanna 
were  vocal  with  sacred  melodies;  or,  attracted  by  the 
sanctuary-like  beauty  of  some  grove,  they  fell  upon  their 
knees  and  prayed  most  earnestly  for  the  conversion  of 
the  Indians.  On  the  first  of  August  they  reached  Beth- 
lehem and  reported  to  the  Board.  This  entire  journey 
had  been  accomplished  afoot. 

Meantime  two  important  treaties  with  the  aborigines 
had  taken  place.  The  one  was  held  at^Lancasterj  where 
commissioners  of  Pennsylvania  formed. an  alliance  with 
the  Twigh twees  of  the  Far  West,  in  accordance  with  their 

10 


-^ 


m 


146 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


xk   ! 


lilH- 


IB.iJi, 


m 


own  wish;'  the  other  at  Albany,  where  Governor  CHu- 
ton,  of  I^ew  York,  and  Shirley,  of  Massachusetts,  met  a 
\  large  deputation  of  Iroquois,  in  order  to  strengthen  the 
chain  of  friendship  which  united  the  League  and  the 
Colonies.^  Some  time  before  this  the  news  of  the  peace 
of  Aix-la-Chapelle  had  reached  America.  Preliminaries 
had  been  signed  ou  the  nineteenth  of  April;  and  now, 
toward  the  end  of  August,  the  king's  proclamation  was 
received,  ordering  a  cessation  of  hostilities.'  Thus  there 
seemed  to  open,  for  the  development  of  the  Colonies 
and  the  spread  of  the  Gospel  among  the  Indians,  a 
promising  future.  But  ere  long  it  became  evident  that 
a  mere  hollow  truce,  and  not  a  lasting  peace,  had  been 
concluded. 

Zeisberger  spent  two  months  at  Bethlehem,  at  which 
place  John  de  Watteville  arrived  from  Europe,  on  an 
official  visit  to  the  Moravian  Churches  and  Missions. 
/    Baron  John  de  Watteville,  a  bishop  of  the  Church, 
,Hhe  principal  assistant  of  Count  Zinzendorf,  and  his  son- 
fin-law,  was  one  of  those  lovely  characters  that  reflect 
v:he  image  of  Christ.     Mild   gentle,  persuasive,  yet  full 
of  courage  and  zeal,  he  was  a  John  among  the  Brethren, 
living  In  a  daily  fellowship  with  Jesus,  and  knowing  no 
happiness  more  exalted  than  to  show  forth  His  praise. 
A  character  such  as  this  attracted  Zinzendorf.     There 
subsisted  between  them  a  bond  stronger  and  holier  than 


1  Col.  Eccox  .3  of  Pa.,  V.  307. 
*  Bancroft's  U.  S.,  iv.  chap.  ii. 
"  Col.  Records  of  Fa.,  v.  381. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


147 


even  that  of  the  family.     They  were  one  iu  heart,  as 
they  were  one  in  Christ.* 

Hence  the  evangelization  of  the  Indians,  concerning 
whori)  he  had  heard  so  much  from  his  father-in-law,  / 
excited  Watteville's  warmest    sympathies,  and  one  of  ; 
the  first  duties  which  he  undertook,  was  a  tour  through 
their  country.     Bishop  Ctimmerhotf  and  Martin  Mack  ■ 
accompanied  him,  and  ZeisJaerg^r  was  apppjuted  Li;tej> 
preter_to  the  pai't^- 

Tliey^  first  visited  Gnadenhlitten  (October  1),  taking 
the  trail  through  the  Lehigh  Water-Gap,  where  no 
shrieking  steam-whistle,  but  only  the  music  of  nature, 
filled  their  ears.  Beyond  Gnadenhlitten  they  struck  to 
the  north,  and  entered  a  wilderness  of  hills,  clothed  in 
their  bright  autumnal  garb,  and  pregnant,  even  then, 
with  untold  stores  of  anthracite  coal, — hills  that  should 
give  birth  to  no  small  part  of  the  commercial  greatness 
and  industrial  power  of  that  Commonwealth  which  now 
boasts  of  the  mines  of  Mauch  Chunk.  At  night  the}- 
bivouacked  under  a  white  oak,  and  called  their  camp 


I 


I 


1  Watteville  was  born  Oct.  18,  1718,  at  "Walschloboii,  In  Thuringisi, 
and  was  the  son  of  a  Lutheran  clcigyinan,  named  John  M.  Longguth. 
Ho  was  educated  at  the  Universitj^of  Jonn,  and  subsequently  joined  the 
Moravian  Church.  Hrving  been  adopted  by  Baron  Freder  ck  de 
Watteville,  he  was  created  n  Baron  of  the  Germanic  Empire  by 
Francis  I.,  in  1745.  In  the  following  year  be  married  the  Countes?;* 
Benigna,  Zinzendorf's  oldest  daughter,  and  was  consecrated  a  bishop  m 
1747.  At  a  later  period,  he  became  a  member  of  the  General  Executive 
Conference  of  the  CI  urch,  in  which  office  ho  remained  until  his  death, 
Oct,  7,  1788.  In  17:33,  lio  paid  a  second  visit  to  America,  where  he 
spent  three  years. 

'  Wettevillo's  Journal,  in  his  ov  "  handwriting.     MS.  B.  A. 


11 


w 


'  II: 


II 


]'. 


li ' 


1 


''  I  f 


if  ^ 

»i\  111 


K'l' 


I 


I 

.1     f 


i 


II.  *' 


S '  ti      '  rt 


1"   ^f 


;r 


148 


L/F£?  AND   TIMES  OF 


ClJi!lillX-S§st,"  in   honor  of  Watteville,  whose   initial 
'letter  was  carved  on  the  tree.     Three  days  later  they 
reached  Wyoming. 

A  visit  to  places  that  have  gained  a  name  in  the  fire- 
side  recollections  of  a  family,  in   the  t... editions   of  a 
church,  or  the  history  of  a  people,  is  an  occasion  of 
deep   interest  and  rare  enjoyment.     The  localities  are 
familiar  and  yet  new,  well  known  and  yet  strange;  the 
present  is  linked  to  the  past ;  and  the  past  reappears  in 
the  present.     With  feelings  such  as  these,  Watteville, 
guided  hy  Mack,  explored  the  lovely  valley  which  here 
/opened  to  his  view.     They  found  the  plain  of  Skehanto- 
Uvanno,  where  Zinzendorf's  tent  had  first  been  pitched, 
.the  little  hill  where  God  had  delivered  him  from  the 
■fangs  of  the  adders,  and  the  spot  where  the  Shawanese 
had  watched  him  with  murderous  designs.     The  very 
Uroe  was  still   standing  on  which  he  had  graven   the 
.initial  of  his  Indian  name,  and  they  could  even  trace  its 
^faiut  outlines. 

Among  the  inhabitants  however,  many  changes  had 

taken  place.     The  majority  of  the  Shawanese  lived  by 

•the  waters  of  the  Ohio,  and  but  few  natives   of  any 

Jother  tribe    remained,  with   the    exception    of  Nanti- 

/cokes.     Watteville    fai+hfully  prpqlaimed     the  Gospel, 

!  Zeisberger  interpreting.    At  nightfall  of  the  seventh  of 

\  October,  he  gathered  his  companions  around  him  and 

t  celebrated  the  Lord's  Supper.    It  was  the  first  time  that 

ithis   holy  sacrament  was    administered    in   that  valley 

where  many  Christian  churches,  in  this  way  of  divine 

appointment,  now  show  the  Lord's  death.     The  hymns 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


149 


3S    luicl 

red  by 
any 

Nauti- 
ospel, 

nth  of 
■pi  and 
e  that 
valley 
divine 
Liymns 


of  the  little  company  swelled  solemnly  through  the 
night,  while  the  Indians  stood  listening,  in  silent  awe, 
at  the  doors  of  their  wigwams.  And  when  they  heard' 
the  voice  of  the  stranger  lifted  up  in  earnest  interces-/'* 
sion,  as  had  been  his  father's  voice  in  that  same  region 
six  years  before,  they  felt  that  the  white  man  was  pray-^ 
ing  that  they  might  learn  to  know  his  God. 

From  "Wj'oming  the  travelers  followed  the  North 
Branch,  visited  Wamphallobank  and  Neskapekc,  and, 
passing  through  Skogari,  at  present  in  Columbia  County 
— the  only  town  on  the  whole  continent  inhabited  b}^ 
Tutelees,  a  degenerate  remnant  of  thieves  and  drunk- 
ards, who  crowded  in  rude  wonder  around  the  horses 
of  the  Brethren,  ejaculating  m  broken  English,  "  See  1 
Moravian  preachers !" — reached  Shamokin  just  as  the 
sun  was  sinking  beyond  tlie  Susquehanna  in  all  the 
splendor  of  an  October  sky.  Hastening  from  the 
Mission-house  came  Powell,  and  from  his  shop  Schmidt, 
to  bid  them  welcome ;  nor  was  it  long  before  Shikel- 
limy  took  them  by  the  hand  and  proffered  the  hos- 
pitalities of  the  village. 

Watteville's  visit  made  a  deep  impression  upon  this 
sachem.      Zinzendorf  had  sent  him  a  costly  gift'  and 
au  affectionate  message,  entreating  him  to  remember' 
the  Gospel  which  he  heard  from  his  lips,  and  turn  to 
Christ.      Watteville    urged    the    subject   with    all   the 


1  It  consisted  of  ti  silver  knife,  foik 
ivoi'j'    drinking-cup  hciivily  moiin 
morocco-ciise,  to  whicli  was  attached  u  long  loop  of  silk 


fork,  and  sjioon,  togetlier   with   an^ 
ted   witli   .-iiver,   all    inclosed   in   a^ 


1 


' 


I 


\'  : 


S.V1 


i!  5,1 


111. 


f'fri 


150 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


i^o-lowinar   warmth   of  his    own   love,   Zeisherger  inter- 
l.preting  his  words  into  the  Mohawk  language.     The 
>heart*^ot'  the  old  cTiie?  was  touched ;  and  several  weeks 
/  after  the  departure  of  the  party,  he  arrived  at  Bethle- 
\  hem,  in  order  to  hear  more  of  Christ.      He  was  daily 
instructed   in  the  plan   of  salvation,   until   he   experi- 
enced the  power  of   divine  grace  and  could  make  a 
/profession  of  personal   faith.      He  had  been  baptized 
by  a  Jesuit  Father,  in  Canada,  many  years  before  this. 
Laying  aside  a  manitou,  the  last  relic  of  his  idolatry, 
I  he  took  his  way  rejoicing  to  his  forest-home.     At  Tul- 
jpehocken,  however,  he  fell  ill,  and  had  barely  strength 
Uo  reach  Shamokin.     There  he  stretched  himself  on  his 
biat,  and  never  rose  again.     Zeisberger,  who  had  re- 
f'turned  to  his  post,  while  Watteville  and  CammerhoiF 
I  had  gone  to  Bethlehem,   faithfully  ministered  to   his 
I  body  and  his  soul.     He  died  on  the  sixth  of  December, 
I  conscious  to  the  last,  but  unable  to   speak,  a  bright 
i  smile  illumining  his  countenance." 

He  left. three  sons,  James  Logan  or  Sogechtowa, 
John  or  Thachnechtoris,  and  John  Petty.  Runners 
were  sent  out  to  summon  them  to  Shamokin.  James 
Logan  arrived  the  next  day,  and,  on  the  ninth,  the 
sachem  was  buried,  in  the  presence  of  the  whole 
population.  Zeisberger  wrote  the  news  to  Conrad 
"Weisser,  who  reported  it  to  Governor  Hamilton.''  The 
Colonial   government   transmitted  a   message  of  con- 


'  Journal  of  Shamokin  Mission. 
'  Penn.  Archives,  ii.  23. 


MS.  B.  A. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGEE. 


161 


doleuce,  and   the  usual  presents  for  the  sons  of  the 
deceased,  requesting  Thachnechtoris  to  act  as  Iroquois 
deputy  until  a  permanent  appointment  could  be  made 
by  the  Grand  Council.     To  Bethlehem  the  intelligence  , 
was  brought   by  Zeisberger  in   person,  and  created  af 
profound  sensation,  especially  among  the  members  of  f 
the  Synod,  which  was   sitting  at  the  time,  under  thej 
presidency  of  Bishop  de  Watteville. 

It  had  been  Zeisberger's  intention  to  go  back  imme- 
diately to  Shamokin.  But  Watteville  detained  him, 
took  hira  along  on  a  tour  to  the  churches  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  New  York,  and,  after  their  return,  ordained 
him  to  the  ministry  (February  16,  1749).'  Then  he 
sent  him  to  his  post,  with  a  written  message,  from  the 
bishops  and  the  Synod,  to  Shikellimy's  sons,  sympa- 
thizing with  them  in  their  loss,  telling  them  of  their 
father's  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  urging  them 
to  follow  in  his  footsteps.^ 

Zeisberger  resumed  his  work  with  new  zeal,  assisted  \ 
by  Jonathan,  a  Christian  Indian  from  Shekomeko,  sor/ 
of  the  first  convert.      But  his  experiences  were  of  a/ 
trying  character.      He    could    not    stem    the   tide  of 
wickedness    that    was    sweeping    through    Shamokin. 
N'ot  only  the   inhabitants  themselves  continued  unim- 
pressed by  the  truths  of  the  Gospel,  but  the  numerous 
visitors  helped  to  maintain  the  supremacy  of  heathen- 
ism.    Hunters  coming  to  the  smith-shop,  and  Iroquois 


»  Certiflcato  of  Ordination.     MS.  B.  A. 
'  Copy  of  tho  Message.     B.  A. 


\ 


152 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


,|r/*'"  ^War-parties  going  against  the  Catawbas,  engaged  in 
U^,  M'*"'  drunken  revelries  and  bloody  brawls,  while,  not  un- 
;frequently,  large  bodies  of  savages  arrived  in  order  to 
Icelebrate  their  sacrificial  abominations,  which  led  to 
'  debauchery  in  its  worst  forms.  At  other  times,  scenes 
of  cruelty  occurred  which  the  missionaries  were  unable 
)to  prevent. 

One  day,  for  example,  the  death-whoop  rang  through 
the  forest.  A  band  of  thirty  Iroquois  was  returning 
from  the  country  of  the  Catawbas,  with  three  prisoners, 
one  of  whom  was  a  little  girl.  She  was  spared,  but 
;the  two  men  were  obliged  to  run  the  gantlet.  In  this 
(brutal  sport  all  the  Indians  of  Shamokin  took  part. 
Two  lines  were  formed,  between  which  the  captives 
were  made  to  run,  amid  furious  blows  dealt  with  fists, 
sticks,  and  war-clubs,  until  they  reached  a  hut  that  had 
previously  been  pointed  out  to  them  as  their  place  of 
refuge.  Thither  the  warriors  came  and  bound  up  their 
wounds ;  after  which  they  were  led  forth  again  and  com- 
pelled to  dance  for  the  amusement  of  the  assembled 
people.  To  force  their  prisoners  thus  to  run  the  gant- 
let, at  every  town  to  which  they  brought  them,  was  the 
inhuman  custom  of  the  Six  Nations. 

In  midsummer,  the  Board  sent  for  Zeisbcrger  to  meet 
Bishop  John  Nitschraann,^  who  was  officiating  as  Spang- 


^  1  John  Nitschnianrij  Son.,  was  born  in  1703,  at  Schonau,  in  Moravia, 
'^ancl  omii^ratccl  to  liorrniiut  in  1725.  He  became  tiio  private  tutor  ol" 
)  Count  Christian  Zinzenclorf,  v.-honi  ho  acoompaniod  to  the  University 
I  of  Jena.  In  1741  he  was  consecrated  a  bishop,  and  came  to  America  in 
)  1749,  with  a  colony  of  120  immigrants.     He  was  President  of  the  Board 


DAVID   ZEISDERGER. 


153 


\ 


enberg's  successor,'  and  Bishop  do  Wattevillo,  who  had 
returned  from  a  visit  to  the  Mission  in  the  West  Indies. 
They  had  important  news  to  communicate. 

An  Indian  treaty  had  been  hekl  in  PhiUidt^lphia,  at( 
which  the  Iroquois  had  sold  a  tract  of  hand  to  Pennsyl- 
vania, extending  from  the  Bkie  Mountains   more  than 
thirty  miles   up   the    Susquehanna,  and    thence    in    a 
straight   line  eastward  to  the  junction  of  the  Lecka- 
wacksein  Creek  with  the  Delaware  River,  thus  aliena- 
ting their   dependencies  to  within  a  short  distance  of 
Shamokin,  where  James  Logan  now  had  his  seat,  as " 
deputy  of  the  Grand  Council,  in  place  of  his  father.^ 
On   the  occasion  of  this   treaty,  "Watteville,  Cammer-  / 
hoff,  Spangenberg,  Pyrlaeus,  and  Seidel  had  instituted,  j 
at  the  Parsonage,  oii  Race  Street,  a   council  with  the  / 
sachems  of  the  Six  IsTations,  at  whose  head  stood  Ganas-/ 
sateco,  and  had  received  permission  to  send  an  embassy ) 
to  Onondaga,  in  the  following  spring,  in  order  to  arrange  ] 
preliminaries  for  a  missionary  enterprise  in  their  coun- 1 
try.'    This  embassy  was  intrusted  to  Cammerhoff  and  \ 
Zeisberger;  the  former  to  be  the  accredited  envoy,  the 
latter  interpreter. 


until   1751,  when  lie  roturncd  to  Europe,  iiiul  sorvcd  tlio  Cliurch  in 
England,  Germany,  and  Ildlland.     He  died  at  Zoist,  ilay  G,  1772. 

1  On  the  oceasion  of  a  Synod  held  at  Bethleliem,  October,  1748,  under 
the  presidency  of  Watteville,  the  "Congregation  of  God  in  the  (Spirit" 
was  given  up,  and,  at  the  same  time,  Sjiungenberg,  owing  to  the  jealousy 
of  some  of  his  fellow-hiborers,  was  relieved  of  his  ofliee.  Ho  retired, 
deeply  hurt,  to  Philadelphia. 

2  Indian  Deed.     Penn.  Archives,  ii.  03. 

•'  At  tlns_councilj  Wattoyille  was  adopted  into  the  Turtle  clan  of  tho 
Onoijday ti_  N'.itionj^_nnd__r*tSe]y cd  tliQ  namc,.£f  Tjianhontio^ or _;^^_A JUcsi- 
f-enjj^Qr." 


1' 


'  ,riv^m 


154 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


* 


While  the  work  at  Shamokin  was  unsuccessful,  other 
Missipnsjonrished.  In  the  early  part  of  1749,  those  in 
New  York  and  Xew  England  were  renewed,  through 
the  exertions  of  Watteville.  The  opponents  of  the 
cause  were  to  be  effec  .uall}'  silenced.  In  the  course  of 
the  summer  there  was  sent  to  America  an  Act  of 
Parliament  "  for  encouraging  the  people  known  by  the 
name  of  the  Unitas  Fratrum,  or  United  Brethren,  to 
settle  in  his  Majesty's  Colonies."  This  Act  allowed 
them  "to  make  a  solemn  affirmation  in  lieu  of  an  oath," 
exempted  them  from  military  service,  and  acknowl- 
edged them  as  "an  ancient  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church."'  Thus  were  those  "Moravian  priests,"  and 
"vagrant,  strolling  preachers,"  against  whom  the  petty 
legislators  of  New  York  had  taken  counsel,  and  whom 
they  had  driven  like  vagabonds  from  their  Province, 
recognized  by  the  highest  legislative  body  in  the  British 
dominions,  and  put  on  a  parity  with  the  clergy  of  the 
Anglican  Church. 

At  GnadenhUtten,  too,  the  cause  prospered  so  much 

that  a  larger  chapel  was  erected  in  1749.     Meniolage- 

/mekah,  moreover,  was  now  a  missionary  station,  and 

Chad  a  little  band  of  confessors  under  George  Rex,  the 

/captain  of  the  village,  who  had  been  baptized  at  Beth- 

(lehera,  and    received   the  name  of   Augustus;    while 


1  22  George  II.,  c.  xxx.;  Ada  Fratnim  Unitatis  in  Anglia,  1749.  This 
Act  was  framed,  at  the  instance  of  Zinzendorf,  mainly  on  account  of 
the  persecutions  which  the  Church  had  suffered  in  New  York.  It  was 
introduced  into  the  House  of  Commons  March  25,  1749,  passed  by  the 
House  of  Lords  May  12,  and  signed  by  the  King,  June  6. 


DAVID  ZEISBEBOER. 


155 


aloni?  the  Susquehanna  lived  single  families  of  Christian 
Indians.  Therefore  Watteville,  who  sailed  for  Europe, 
with  Spangenberg,  on  the  fifteenth  of  October,  could 
bear  the  gratifying  news  to  his  father-in-law,  that  the 
Indian  Mijaiuii-,ka^inci£aa£d J^._8eyejal^  j 

verts.' 


!/ 


1  Loskiel  (Part  ii.  p.  118)  gives  the  number  at  five  hundred,  which  is, 
unquestionably,  an  error.  There  could  not  have  been  more  than  about 
three  hundred  persons  in  fellowship  with  the  Mission,  inasmuch  as  there 
were  but  two  hundred  and  thirty  baptisms  up  to  that  year,  as  is  seen 
from  the  official  register. 


m 


i\ 


I 

-1 

■I 

i 
i 


156 


L/F£  ^iVZ)  TBiES  OF 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


V 


ZEISBERGER  AND  CAMMERIIOFF  ON  AN  EiMBASSY  TO  ONONDAGA.— 

1750. 

Zcisbcrgor  and  CammerhofT  at  Wyoming. — Sot  out  in  a  canoe,  guided 
by  a  Cayuga  chief. — Visit  the  scattered  converts. — Koach  tiie  Cayu2;a 
country  and  talvo  horses. — Lake  Cayuga. — The  liistorie  monuments  of 
the  Cayugas. — Cayuga  Town. — Arrive  at  Onondaga  and  reception  by 
the  Grand  Council. — Visit  the  Senccas. — Great  perils. — The  escape 
from  the  Zonessehio. — Danger  of  drowning. — Return  to  Onondaga. 
Their  message  to  the  Council. — Journey  home. — The  rattlesnake. 

The  hopes  awakened  by  the  past  success  of  the  In- 
dian Mission  made  the  new  enterprise  in  which  Zeis- 
berger  was  to  engage  a  pleasure  and  a  privilege,  in  spite 
^of  its  hardships.     To  bear  the  Gospel  to  the  powerful 
( League  of  the  Six  Nations  and  bring  these  proud  sav- 
;ages  into  the  Church  of  Christ  was  the  ultimate  purpose 
Jof  this  second  embassy  to  Onondaga.     Mohicans,  Wam- 
ipanoags,   and   Delawares   had    been   converted   to  the 
'living  God,  and  were  learning  the  ways  of  civilization, — 
why  not  Iroquois  also,  one  of  whose  greatest  sachems 
'had  died  a  Christian  in  Zeisberger's  arras? 

Such  were  the  thoughts  with  which  he  took  his  way 
to  Wyoming,  whither  Bishop  Cammerhoff  had  preceded 
him.  They  met  in  the  town  of  the  Nanticokes,  and 
spent  a  week  waiting  in  vain  for  their  Indian  guide.  At 
last  they  resolved  to  begin  the  journey  alone,  confident 
that  He  who  had  led  the  Israelites  through  the  wilder- 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


167 


ness  would  help  them  to  find  thoir  path.  A  part  of 
the  way  could  not  be  missed,  for  Zeisburger  had  planned 
a  new  route.  He  proposed  to  ascend  the  Susquehanna 
in  a  canoe,  as  far  as  the  present  boundary  of  New 
York,  thus  avoiding  tlie  great  swamp  in  which 
Bishop  Spangenberg's  party  had  suffered  so  many 
privations. 

On  the  twenty-eighth  of  May,  the  little  vessel  which 
was  to  carry  them    lay  ready,  fashioned  with  all  the 
ingenuity  of  a  native  builder.     Their  packs  were  put  on 
board,  the  indispensable  ride  and  powder-horn  not  for- 
gotten, the  hatchet,  flint,  and  steel  securely  stowed  away. 
Surrounded  by  the  friends  who  had  accompanied  Cam- 
merhoff  to  Wyoming,  they  were  sending  messages  of 
love  to  their  brethren,  when  their  long-expected  guide 
arrived — Ilahotschaunquas,   a    chief   of   the    Cayugas.  ] 
He  had  been  detained  by  high  water  in  the  Susque- 
hanna.    An  hour  later,  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
they  embarked, — Hahotschaunquas  and  Gajehene,  his 
wife,  in  their  canoe ;  Cammcrhotf,  Zeisbcrger,  and  the  : 
chiefs  two  children  —  Tagita,  a   lad  of  fourteen,  and 
Gahaea,  a  littb  girl  of  four  years — in  that  belonging 
to  the  missionaries.      "Waving  a  last  farewell  to  their 
friends    on  the   bank,  Zeisberger   seized  the    paddle,  f 
and,  using  it   with   the   expertness  of  an  Indian,  the  ■ 
canoe  glided  swiftly  on  its  way  to  the  country  of  the^ 
Iroquois. 

The  journey  which  the  two  envoys  thus  began  was 
one  of  the  most  romantic  ever  undertaken  by  Moravian/ 
missionaries.      Great  sufferings  and  wonderful  escapes) 


m 


kdi 


'livi 


'M 


158 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


distinguished  it;  faith  and  courage,  such  as  the  heroic 
age  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  had  never  before  seen, 
will  ever  render  it  memorable.  No  two  men  among 
her  clergy  could  have  been  found  better  fitted  to  stand 
fast  and  endure.  The  intense  love  to  Christ  which  filled 
Caramcrhoff's  heart  gloried  in  tribulations;  and  Zeis- 
berger's  soul  longed  so  ardently  for  manifestations  of 
God's  power  among  the  Aquanoschioni  that  famine, 
nakedness,  or  perils  were  as  nothing  in  securing  such 
an  end.  Associated  as  the  two  had  been  on  former 
tours  through  the  wilderness,  having  many  recollections 
in  common,  this  mission  bound  11  ^m  together  like 
David  and  Jonathan.  One  in  their  Saviour,  His  divine 
name  was  continually  on  their  lips ;  and  the  "  Man  of 
sorrows  and  acquainted  with  grief  formed  the  source 
of  their  daily  joy  and  strength  and  peace. 

In  the  evening  of  their  first  day's  journey  they  fast- 
ened their  canoes  to  the  shore,  and  built  a  walnut-bark 
hut,  in  the  center  of  which  they  kindled  a  fire.  On  the 
one  side,  wrapped  in  their  blankets,  lay  the  missiona- 
ries ;  on  the  other,  the  Indian  family.  Thus  they  slept 
in  peace.  Sirnilar^sheltera  werQ.eyected  every  nighty  ajid 
leach  camping-ground  received  a  nariie. 

Having  reached  a  village  near  the  line  of  the  present 
Wyoming  County,  where  Nathaniel,  a  convert,  baptized 
jby  Cammerhoft",  had  his  home,  and  near  which  lived 
'other  Christian  Indians,  the  first  fruits  of  the  Mission 
in  that  valley,  they  stopped  a  day  in  order  to  visit  these 
'"brown  sheep,"  as  the  bishop  was  accustomed  to  call 
fhis  incjjan  converts,  and  strengthen  them  in  their  holv 


DAVID   ZEISDEROER. 


159 


faith.  It  was  a  time  of  great  eneouragtmeut.  Not 
only  did  they  Hud  the  baptized  Indiana  faithful  to  their 
vows,  but  the  savages  unwittingly  bore  testimony  to ' 
the  reality  of  their  conversion.  "  What  have  you  done 
to  our  brothers,"  said  the  indignant  warriors,  crowding 
around  the  bishop,  "  that  they  are  so  entirely  dift'erent 
from  us,  and  from  what  they  used  to  be  ?  What  is  this 
baptism  which  has  made  tliem  turn  from  our  feasts  and 
dances,  and  shun  all  our  ways?"  Cammcrhoft"8  re- 
sponse was  a  fervent  discourse  upon  the  atonement  o^ 
Christ. 

The  winding  course  of  the  river,  after  leaving  this 
village,  led  them  through  a  romantic  country  and  a 
primeval  wilderness.  -  Wooded  hills  stretched  from  the 
Susquehanna  to  the  spurs  of  the  Alleghanies,  the  young 
foliage  of  early  summer  clothing  them  in  a  mantle  of 
soft  green,  variegated  by  the  flowers  of  the  tulip-tree 
and  the  blossoms  of  gorgeous  forest-shrubs.  Sweep- 
ing around  blutfs,  the  stream  in  many  places  burst  into 
wild  rapids,  through  which  they  found  it  almost  im- 
possible to  paddle  their  canoes.  From  the  coves, 
between  the  hills,  ducks  rose  at  their  approach,  or  the 
startled  deer  bounded  back  into  the  thicket ;  above 
their  heads,  clouds  of  wild  pigeons  passed  on  their  swift 
way;  while  stretched  upon  the  rocks,  basking  in  the 
sun,  or  coiled  with  head  erect,  appeared  occasionally, 
and  on  one  day  in  extraordinary  numbers,  the  mottled 
rattlesnake,  the  terror  of  the  American  wilderness. 

Through  such  scenes  they  journeyed  for  nearly  ten  j 
days ;  Zeisberger  and  Hahotschaunquas  shooting  gamej 


PI' <;1: 


fiSi  f 


J'  '  ^p 


^ih    vl 


160 


Z,/F^  ^iV2)   T/i/£5  OF 


for  their   food,  and    Caramcrhotf  speaking  with    the 
Indian   tlimily  about    the    salvation  of  their  souls,  or 
listening,  at    night,  to   the   tales  of   the  chief   as  he 
related,  by  the  fire,  the  heroic  deeds  of  his  ancestors. 
Now  and  thou   a   straggling  village  of  Delawares  ap- 
peared on  the  bluffs,  or  a  canoe,  with  its  solitary  hunter, 
crossed  thoir  track.     At  Tioga  they  turned   from   the 
,  Susquehanna  into  the  Chemung,  the  current  of  which 
jwas  so   strong  that  it  almost   exhausted  Zeisberger's 
i  strength,  and  reached  Ganatocherat  the  first  village  of 
I  the  Cayugas,  probably  near  the  boundary  of  New  York. 
fHaetwe,  an   acquaintance  of  Zeisberger,  met  them   at 
jthe  bank,  and  invited  them  to  stop  at  the  hut  of  the 
[chief.     The  latter  was  absent,  but  Haetwe   took  his 
•{  place  as  host.    When  they  entered  the  lodge,  he  turned 
I  to  Zeisberger,  and  said  with  all  the  dignity  of  a  well- 
I  bred  gentleman,  "  i  salute  you,  my  brother   Ganous- 
\  seracheri!'' 

Thoy  rested  at  Ganatocherat  for  two  days,  and  then 
continued  their  journey  on  horseback,  still  guided  by 
the  Cayuga  chief.  Struggling  through  a  swamp,  where 
the  fruitful  farms  of  Tompkins  County  now  rejoice  the 
tourist's  eye,  they  reached,  after  four  days  of  hard 
riding,  the  southernmost  point  of  Lake  Cayuga,  or 
Ganiataragechiat,  as  it  was  called  by  the  natives.  Here 
they  met  a  party  of  Indians  encamped  in  a  cave,  who 
generously  replenished  their  scanty  stores  with  a  supply 
of  turtle-eggs  and  dried  eels. 

Advancing  now  along  the  eastern  shore  of  the  lake, 
they  forded  numerous  creeks,  and  came  to  a  spot  which 


DAVID   ZEISBERGER. 


iw^5«»wv;__ ;; 


161 


li 


their  guide  approached  with  proud  steps  and  glowing- 
eyes.     It  was  the  rude,  but  to  him  glorious,  monument       ,  ^ 
of  the  warlike  deeds  of  his  nation.     The  trees  all  around;   '^^■t::!^ 
were  full  of  figures  and  curious  symbols  carved  on  the;  tiy  ,_>  ' 
bark,  —  telling  of  battles  fought  and  won,   of  scalps  ^^/l 

brought  home,  and  of  prisoners  taken.     He  led  them 
to  one  tree  in  particular,  and  pointed  out  the  history  of  ' 
his  own  exploits.  ' 

Man,  in  every  age,  and  in  all  states  of  civilization, 
is  swayed  by  the  same  desire  to  leave  to  posterity  the 
tokens  of  his  renown.  Gigantic  blocks  and  pillars  of 
stone,  arrayed  in  mysterious  hieroglyphics,  formed  the 
national  chronicles  of  the  ancient  Egyptians;  statues, 
upon  which  Art  exhausted  hor  highest  powers,  im- 
mortalized the  heroes  of  Greece  and  Rome ;  beautiful  \ 
bass-reliefs,  cast  out  of  cannon  which  Napoleon  Bona- 
parte captured  from  the  Austrians  and  Russians,  and 
covering  the  Column  VendSme,  at  Paris,  celebrate  the 
victories  of  this  mighty  conqueror;  a  colossal  obelisk 
of  hewn  granite,  towering  above  Bunker  Hill,  marks 
that  momentous  struggle  for  American  Independence 
which  there  took  place.  So,  in  the  remote  wilderness, 
by  the  waters  of  Cayuga  Lake,  the  trees  of  a  primeval 
forest  published  the  fame  of  its  children.  But  while' 
Egypt,  Greece,  and  Rome  still  live  in  their  memorials, 
broken  though  many  of  them  be,  and  while  the  monu- 
ments of  our  times  are  viewed  by  admiring  thousands, 
the  oak  and  the  ash,  which  recorded  Cayuga  greatness, 
have  long  since  bowed  under  the  white  man's  axe,  and 

11 


' 


162 


LIFE  AND   TIMES   OF 


r'A\-''>kM 


the  history  which  their  bark  unfolded,  like  the  race  that 
it  concerned,  is  well-nigh  extinct. 

After. nightfall,  the  party  arrived  at  Cayuga  Town,  the 
capital    of   the  nation.     This  was    Hahotschaunquas's 
(home,  and    they  were    hospitably  entertained    by  his 
1  grandmother,  an    aged  matron   of   more   than   ninety 
lyears.     The  village,  nestling  among  the  trees  on  the 
shore  of  the  lake,  and  distinguished  by  its  roomy  and 
substantial  houses,  excited  their  admiration  ;  they  spent 
a  pleasant  day  among  its  people,  and  joyfully  antici- 
pated the  til  iC  when  the  true  God  would  here  have  a 
sanctuary.     Their  course  from  this  place  was  to  the 
northeast,  and  brought  them  into   a  thick  wilderness, 
embracing  Lakes  Owasco  and  Skaneateles,  and  stretch- 
ing to  within  a  short  distance  of  Onondaga,  which  they 
reached  on  the  nineteenth  of  June. 

As  they  were  entering  this   forest-metropolis,  their 

guide  asked  them  where  they  proposed  to  lodge.     "At 

I  the  house  of  Ganassateco,"  said  Zeisberger.     "  Ganas- 

{  sateco !"  echoed  the  chief  in  great  surprise.     "  Ganas- 

'l  sateco  is  a  very  mighty  sachem !"     His  lodge  proved 

;  to  be   of  unusually  large    dimensions,   and   in    front 

;  of  it  stood  a  flag-staff  from  which  the  English  colors 

.floated. 

;  Ganassateco's  wife  welcomed  them, — her  husband 
'being  absent  at  the  Council.  As  soon  as  he  v/as 
informed  of  their  arrival,  however,  they  were  invited 
^to  the  Council  House,  where  they  found  twonty-four 
]heads  of  the  League  assembled,  who  received  them 
»with    every    mark    of   distinction.      Their    guide    sat 


S| 


I 
i 


DAVID   ZEISBERGEB. 


163 


humbly  at  the  door,  gazing  upon  this  reception  in 
mute  astonishment.  Now  that  lie  saw  the  respect 
with  which  the  Princes  of  the  Aquanoschioni  treated 
his  fellow-travelers,  he  began  to  realize  their  dignity. 

The  envoys  having  taken  the  places  assigned  to 
them,  a  brief  but  profound  silence  ensued,  until 
Bishop  Cammerhoff  rose,  and  spoke  as  follows, — 
Zeisberger  interpreting  his  words  into  the  Mol^awk 
language:  "Brothers!  Gallichwio*  and  Ganoussera- 
cheri  have  come  to  visit  j^ou.  They  promised  to 
visit  you  when  they  saw  you  at  Philadelphia,  and 
gave  you  a  fathom  of  wampum.  They  have  been  sent 
by  their  brothers  to  bring  you  a  message,  and  have 
reached  your  Council-fire,  here  at  Onondaga,  in  health. 
They  rejoice  to  see  you  all  togeth(M'.  But  first  they 
will  rest  a  few  days  from  the  fatigues  of  their  long 
journey,  and  then  they  will  meet  you,  and  tell  3'ou 
their  thoughts,  and  wh^  they  have  come."  This 
speech  was  greeted  with  applause  ;  wlieieupoij  the 
bishogi^  gresentecL,  u.^p.ipe  of  tobacco,  which  passed  from 
mouth  to  mouth,  and  Zeisberger  gave  a  short  account 
of  their  journey.  Then  the  Council  continued  its 
deliberations  in  the  presence  of  the  envoys.  A  plen- 
tiful meal  closed  the  sitting. 

The_  foliovviug  jday.  Cammerhoft'  and  Zeisberger 
devoted  j)artly  to  religipus  exercises.  Retiring  into 
the  forest,  they  prostrated  themselvoH  before  (iod,  and 


i 


'  QalHchwioj^  racuniti^  J' u  ^ood  message,'  jyas  Camuierliotf's  a 
[iidian  namo,  IIo  hud  been  adopted  by  the  Six  Nations  on  the^ 
ISthof  XprTl,  1748.  "^ 


■I,  I 


164 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


/offered  up  ferveut  intercessions  on  behalf  of  the  Six 
I  Nations,  that  this  people  might  soon  be  led  to  embrace 
'the  Gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.     Afterward,  sit- 
ting in  the  shade  of  a  great  tree,  they  celebrated  the 
Lord's  Supper,  according  to  the  solemn   ritual  of  their 
Church.     The  "  Communion  Hymns"  swelled  in  sweet 
harmony    through   Nature's   lofty   sanctuary,   and   He, 
whose  promise  to  two  or  three  gathered  in  His  name 
^stands  fast,  bestowed  upon  His  servants  the  fullness  of 
peace. 

The   twenty-first  of   June    had  been   appointed   for 
their  neo-otiations  with  the  Council,  but  it  could  not 
meet  because  a  majority  of  its  members  were  intox- 
icated ;    and,    as    days    passed    without    any    sign    of 
i  returning   soberness,  Ganassateco,  at  last,  advised  the 
!  envoys  to  go  back  to  Shamokin,  and  there  await  the 
i  answer  of  the  sachems,  which  he  pledged  himself  to 
send  by  a  special  runner.      But   they  were   too    well 
acquainted  with  the   unreliableness  of  the  Indians  to 
adopt  such  a  suggestion,  and  knew  that  if  they  left 
the  country  the  object  of  their  mission  would  never  be 
gained.     Hence  they  persuaded  Ganassateco  to  present 
their  message  and  strings  of  wampum  as  soon  as  the 
Council  could  be  called  together,  while  they  paid  a  visit 
to  the  Senecas. 

r-  They  set  out,  first,  for  Cayuga  Town,  each  carrying 

a  pack,   and   Zeisberger  his   rifle.      There  they  were 

\ joined    by   Hahotschaunquas,   whom    they  had    again 

^engaged   as  their  guide.      Onechsagerat,   a  venerable 

'old    chief,  gave    them   a  farewell    breakfast   of   corn- 


DAVID  ZEISBEROER. 


165 


bread  r.nd  tea,  the  tea  service  consisting  of  a  large 
spoon  and  a  wooden  bowl  placed  on  two  corn-mortars 
instead  of  a  table.  Gannekachtacheri,  a  celebrated  war- 
rior, whose  name  had  been  conferred  upon  Secretary 
Peters,  ferried  them  across  the  lake.  They  traveled 
afoot.  Taking  a  trail  west  by  north,  they  entered 
a  fearful  wilderness,  in  which  they  sweltered  amid 
intense  heat,  unable  to  find  a  drop  of  water,  except 
a  turbid  pool,  until  they  had  walked  thirty-five  miles, 
when  they  came  to  a  stream  whose  murmuring  current 
was  music  to  their  ears.  An  hour  before  sunset  they 
reached  a  village  lying  on  the  outlet  of  Lake  Seneca, 
which  bore  the  name  of  Nugniage  among  the  natives, 
probably  not  far  from  the  present  flourishing  town  of 
Waterloo,  in  Seneca  County.  A  French  trader  lent 
them  his  canoe  to  cross  the  outlet  to  the  head  of 
the  lake,  where  they  stopped  for  the  night,  the 
rain  descending  in  torrents  upon  their  defenseless 
heads. 

At  early  dawn  they  continued  their  journey  in  a 
course  west-southwest,  which  brought  them  to  the 
first  hunting-grounds  of  the  Senecas, —  a  beautiful 
valley,  blooming  like  a  garden.  It  was  the  eastern 
section  of  Ontario  County.  Their  guide  told  them 
that  a  large  town  bad  enlivened  this  region  more  than 
half  a  century  ago,  but  had  been  destroyed  by  the  ) 
French  in  a  war  with  the  Six  Nations.  Contiguous  to 
this  valley,  and  in  dismal  contrast  with  it,  lay  a  swamp, 
nearly  six  miles  in  extent.  To  pass  this  involved  so 
many    difficulties    that    men    less    determined    would 


..r 


■'!^j:t>^ 


160 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


m 


1,1*  n  "  ;  ¥% 

I    r  iS 


have  relinquished  the  journey  in  despair.    The  gloomy 

wood;  the  tangled  thickets;  the  deep  sloughs,  through 

which  they  had  to  creep  on  trunks  of  prostrate  trees, 

frequently  slipping  into  the  mire   up  to  their   knees ; 

the  stifling  atmosphere;  the  swarms  of  mosquitoes; — all 

this  rendered  their  way  arduous  beyond  description.     A 

terrific  thunder-storm,  which  burst  upon  them,  was  a 

relief,  for  it  scattered  the  insects  and  purified  the  air. 

Toward  evening  they  built  a  hut,  and  spent  a  dreary 

night,  with  nothing  to  eat  except  a  small  quantity  of 

/pounded    corn.      The    next    morning,   however,   they 

(emerged  from  the  swamp,  and  reached  the   beautiful 

{waters  of  Lake  Cauandaigua. 

Near  its  outlet  they  crossed  an  Indian  bridge,  made 

of  small  trees  and  poles  thrown  loosely  upon  stakes, 

which  were  bound  together  with  thongs  of  bark  and 

driven  into  the  bottom  of  the  lake,  and  came  up  with 

a   Seneca  hunter,  from  Ganataqueh,  currying   a  juicy 

haunch  of  venison,  whereof  he  invited  them  to  partake 

at  his  lodge.    Nearly  fomished  as  they  were,  they  eagerly 

(accepted  the  oifer.      The  huts  of  the  village  were  all 

j  ornamented  with   the  totems  of  the  various   clans  to 

/which  the  inmates  belonged,  painted  in  rude  outlines 

jabove  the  doors.     Tanochtahe — such  was  the  name  of 

their    host — having    fired  a   salute   of   four    shots,  to 

^announce  the  arrival  of  distinguished  guests,  the  head- 

Imen  of  the  village  came  to  welcome  them. 

j     That  night  Bishop  Cammerhoff  lay  ill  of  a  violent 

^ fever.     Zeisbcrger  was  sitting  by  him  and  ministering 

[to  his  wants,  when  a  messenger  summoned  him  to  a 


DAVID   ZEISBERGER. 


167 


hut  in  a  distant  part  of  the  village.  There  he  was  unex- 
pectedly introduced  into  the  presence  of  the  whole  male 
population,  engaged  in  an  uproarious  drinking-bout, 
shouting,  laughing,  and  dancing  in  wild  confusion.  As 
soon  as  he  entered,  profound  silence  ensued  ;  while  the 
chief,  who  presided  at  the  debauch,  informed  him  that, 
as  a  mark  of  special  respect,  the  people  of  Ganataqueh 
had  sent  for  him  to  take  part  in  their  feast.  Zeisber- 
ger's  situation  at  that  moment  was  critical  in  the  highest 
degree.  He  was  at  the  mercy  of  the  Indians,  whom 
rum  had  made  mad.  To  offend  them  might  prove 
instant  death.  AVhat  surety  had  he  that  a  tomahawk, 
hurled  from  the  midst  of  the  drunken  crowd,  might  not 
be  the  response  if  he  refused  the  invitation?  But  Zeis- 
berger  was  the  servant  of  the  H0I3'  Lord.  To  Him  he 
remained  true.  Speaking  in  the  tongue  of  the  Cayugas, 
he  declined  to  Join  in  the  revelry,  delivered  a  powerful 
speech  ou  the  evils  of  intoxication,  and  besought  them 
to  turn  from  the  fire-water  which  was  destroying  their 
race.  The  Indians  pressed  around  him  with  threat- 
ening looks,  and  insisted  on  his  at  least  drinking  their 
health.  Zeisberger  still  refused,  but  seeing  that  they 
were  determined,  and  that  there  was  no  other  way  of 
escape,  at  last  took  the  profl'ered  cup  and  barely  lifted 
it  to  his  lips.  Then  they  let  him  go.  Thus  he  showed 
himself  bold  and  prudent,  each  in  season.  To  have  re- 
sisted any  longer  would  have  been  courting  martyrdom 
for  an  insufficient  cause. 

Hejoining  the  bishop,  he  prepared  for  rest;  but  there 
was  no  rest  for  either  of  them.     Parties  of  inebriated 


A'- 


m 


^m 


168 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


ri 


/, 

^':^ 


savages  burst  into  the  lodge,  shouting  and  singing,  now 
heaping  disgusting  tokens  of  affection  upon  them,  and 
now  menacing  them  with  fierce  anger.     Their  situation 

'  became  intolerable,  especially  as  their  guide  was  intoxi- 
cated like  the  rest.  They  must  escape  without  delay, 
s-  although  Cammerhoff  was  so  weak  that  he  could  barely 
walk.  Issuing  from  the  hut  as  the  morning  began  to 
break,  they  hoped  to  get  away  unmolested,  but  the  In- 
dians followed  them  with  wild  whoops,  jostled  and  wor- 
ried them  in  many  ways,  pointed  their  rifles  at  them, 

,  and  every  few  minutes  sent  a  ball  whistling  just  above 
the  head,  first  of  the  one  and  then  of  the  other.  This 
cruel  sport  continued  for  a  mile  or  two,  when  the  savages 
suddenly  rushed  back  to  their  town. 

The  next  night  the  missionaries  spent  at  Hachniage, 

'where  the  people  were  sober,  and  a  venerable  chief  en- 
tertained them.  Having  been  rejoined  by  their  guide, 
they  continued  their  journey,  passed  Lakes  Iloneoye, 
Hemlock,  and  Couesus,  and,  on  the  second  of  July,  at 
last  reached  Zonesschio,^  the  cajpital  of  the  Senecas. 

This  village  was  composed  of  about  forty  large  huts, 
and  lay  in  a  beautiful  region,  where,  however,  with  the 
exception  of  occasional  traders,  a  white  man  was  seldom 

/  seen.     The  missionaries  would  have  rejoiced  to  spend 

)  some  days  here  preaching  the  Gospel ;  but  the  time  of 

(  their  visit  was   most  inopportune,    and   God    saw  fit 

•  severely  to  try  their  faith. 

They  had  heard  shouting  from  afar,  in  every  part  of 


1  Situated   in  Livingston  County,  probably  near  Geneseo. 


\ 


-i.Cr  , 


DAVID  ZEISBERQER. 


169 


Zonesschio  ;  and,  when  they  entered  the  town,  it 
presented  an  appearance  that  would  have  appalled 
any  heart.  Almost  the  entire  adult  population  was 
intoxicated.  Two  hundred  men  and  women,  in  all 
the  frenzy  of  drunkenness,  conducted  them  to  the 
lodge  of  Garontianechqui,  who  had,  at  Philadelphia, 
invited  Camnierhotf  to  be  his  guest.  The  sachem's 
wife  received  them  kindly,  but  trembled  for  their 
lives.  Her  husband,  inebriated  like  the  rest,  yet  not 
to  a  degree  that  prevented  him  from  recognizing  the 
bishop,  bade  them  welcome  in  the  maudlin  accents 
of  a  sot.  But  it  was  a  welcome  to  a  Pandemonium. 
The  savages  came  rushing  into  the  house  and  crowd- 
ing around  them,  some  as  wild  as  maniacs,  others 
silent,  but  with  dark  looks  that  boded  no  good  to  the 
missionaries.  These  retreated  to  a  small  hut  near  by, 
whither  the  sachem's  wife  sent  her  brother-in-law,  the 
only  sober  man  in  the  village,  to  protect  them.  His 
presence  was  of  little  avail.  The  Indians  discovered 
their  hiding-place,  and  tormented  them  as  before,  until 
they  climbed  up  to  the  second  bunk  or  platform, 
which,  according  to  the  Iroquois  mode  of  construct- 
ing houses,  was  at  a  considerable  elevation  from  the 
ground.  It  was  just  large  enough  to  permit  them 
to  lie  side  by  side ;  immediately  above  them  was  the 
roof.  As  soon  as  they  had  ascended,  the  ladder  lead- 
ing to  this  loft  was  removed.  Here  they  spent  the 
night,  almost  suiibcated  by  the  heat,  and  CammerhofF 
burning  with  fever.  The  solitary  Indian  kept  watch 
below.     In  the  town  the  revelry  continued;  cask  after 


170 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


f 


{: 


K 


''  A- 


cask  of  rum  was  drained;  all  the  abominations  of 
heathenism,  in  its  worst  form,  made  that  summer  night 
hideous;  devilish  laughter,  yells,  such  as  can  proceed 
;■  only  from  drunken  savages,  filled  the  air,  and  were 
borne  to  the  ears  of  the  missionaries.  But  not  all 
;the  fury  of  Satan's  reign,  in  this  hi  larkest  strong- 
hold, could  shake  their  faith  in  the  converting  and 
sanctifying  power   of  the  Gospel.      That  the   savages 

\  >  '      '      around  them  might  soon  be  transformed  into  children 
'*'  y^     ^^  QtO(i,  and  found  sitting  in  their  right  mind  at  the  feet 

^  I  of  Jesus,  was  the  purport  of  their  intercessions. 

The  next  morning  Cammerhoff  was  so  weak  that  all 
thoughts  of  an  immediate  return  to  Onondaga  had 
to  be  abandoned.  Lying  in  the  bunk,  they  counted 
the  long  and  weary .  hours  that  seemed  to  bo  days ; 
or  ventured  occasionally  to  descend  to  the  hut  below, 
where  their  faithful  guard  s'lll  held  his  post.  They 
/jpanted  for  fresh  water.  Cammerhoff's  feverish  thirst, 
at  last,  became  so  agonizing,  that  Zeisberger  could 
endure  the  sight  no  longer,  but  risked  every  danger 
in  order  to  relieve  his  sufferings.  The  nearest  spring 
lay  half  a  mile  from  the  village.  He  stole  out  of  the 
hut,  and  reached  it  in  safety.  But,  on  his  way  back, 
some  of  the  savages  espieu  him,  fell  upon  him,  hustled 
him  from  side  to  side,  and  jerked  the  kettle  from  his 
ihands.  A  fight  among  themselves  for  its  contents 
saved  him  from  worse  treatment.  Havins:  induced  them 
,  to  give  up  the  kettle,  he  returned  to  the  spring,  and 
filled  it  a  second  time.  His  tormentors  were  on  the 
watch  for  him,  but  turning  abruptly  into  the  wood,  he 


« 


IM^   ^/H^-^^^' 


DAVID  ZEISBEROER. 


171 


lirst, 
could 


ran  at  the  top  of  his  speed,  and  gained  the  hut  by  a 
loii^  circuit. 

Toward  evening,  as  there  seemed  to  be  less  noise  in  the 
town,  Zeisberger  walked  out  once  more  panting  for  fresh 
air.  lie  saw  no  one,  and  was  congratuUiting  himself 
upon  his  good  fortune,  when  a  sudden  turn  in  the  path 
brought  him  into  full  view  of  a  troop  of  women.  Some 
of  these  were  nude,  others  nearly  s:;,  and  all  intoxicated. 
"With  one  accord  they  rushed  toward  him,  each  trying 
lasciviously  to  lay  hold  of  his  person.  In  this  disgust- 
ing dilemma,  there  was  but  one  resort.  Doubling  his 
fists,  and  dealing  out  blows  to  the  right  and  the  left,  he 
drove  the  squaws  aside,  and  then  ran  for  the  hut.  The 
whole  party  followed,  their  long  hair  streaming  in  the 
wind,  their  lips  swelling  with  unearthly  shrieks,  their 
hands  clutching  the  empty  air.  They  seemed  to  be  a 
body  of  incarnate  fiends !  Before  he  could  reach  the 
bunk,  they  were  in  the  hut,  seized  the  ladder  on  which 
he  was  ascending,  and  tore  it  from  under  his  feet,  so 
that  lie  barely  succeeded  in  grasping  one  of  the  cross- 
poles  of  the  roof,  and  swinging  himself  into  his  retreat 
by  the  side  of  Cammerhoff.  Their  guard  ejected  the 
women,  and  soon  night  came  on. 

As  they  lay  sleepless  and  discouraged,  the  bishop* 
said  to  Zeisberger,  "  \\^e  cannot  stay  here;  let  usj 
escape  at  once ;  although  I  am  still  very  weak,  I  willj 
risk  the  journey."  Finding  that  the  Indian  below,  who} 
had  been  faithfully  protecting  them  for  nearly  thirty-j 
six  hours,  continued  to  sleep  in  spite  of  their  repeatedl 
calls,  their  simple-hearted  faith  suggested  the  thouglitj 


^^  ^ 


"yoAJi-' 


172 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


\'A 


that  this  was  a  Divine  intimation  to  leave  without  his 
knowledge. 

The  opening  in  the  arch  of  the  roof,  eommon  to  all 
Iroquois  dwellings,  offered  u  wiiy  of  flight.  Through 
this  narrow  aperture  Canimerhoff  crept  first,  with  great 
difficult}',  and  dropped  to  the  ground.  Zeisberger  then 
threw  out  one  of  their  packs ;  the  other  was  so  large 
that  he  could  not  force  it  through  the  hole,  but  had  to 
cast  down  its  contents  singly,  although  every  moment 
was  precious.  At  last  he  too  climbed  out.  It  was 
between  four  and  five  o'clock,  and  the  day  just  began  to 
break.  But  perils  still  surrounded  them.  If  they  were 
detected  by  the  intoxicated  savages  in  the  act  of  thus 
secretly  leaving  Zonesschio  it  would  be  equivalent  to  dis- 
covering a  war-party  stealing  from  an  attack  ;  and  they 
would  inevitably  be  made  prisoners,  perhaps  murdered. 
There  were,  moreover,  nearly  one  hundred  fierce  and 
hungry  dogs  in  the  village.  Committing  their  lives  into 
the  hands  of  Him  for  whose  glory  they  had  ventured 
into  that  den  of  iniquity,  they  proceeded  straight 
through  the  town.  A  thick  fog  enshrouded  its  strag- 
gling lodges,  between  which  they  hurried  on.  Zonesschio 
lay  in  a  profound  slumber.  Not  an  Indian  appeared ; 
not  a  dog  barked ;  not  a  sound  was  heard,  except  the 
occasional  voice  of  a  bird,  hidden  in  the  mist,  and 
chirping  its  morning  song.  Only  one  hut  more  to  pass, 
and  they  would  be  safe!  As  they  approached,  they 
saw,  to  their  consternation,  a  squaw  standing  at  the 
door.  Their  fate  now  hung  upon  a  thread.  If  she 
gave  the  alarm,  escape  would  be  impossible.     A  second 


DA  VID   ZEISBERGER. 


173 


glance,   however,    reassured    them  ;    the    woman    was 
sober,  returned  their  greeting,  and  let  them  go. 

But  even  now  their  trials  were  not  at  an  end.  With- 
out provisions,  and  unable  to  find  any  game,  for  it 
seemed  to  have  disappeared  from  those  hunting-grounds, 
they  auttbred  greatly  from  hunger.  In  attempting  to  wade 
across  the  outlet  of  Lake  Seneca,  they  missed  the  ford 
and  were  carried  into  deep  water,  struggling  for  theirl 
lives.  After  superhuman  exertions,  Zeisberger  gained  (  C^;^.^,/^ 
the  shore;  Oammerhotf,  whose  strength  the  fever  had]  (5x<a 
weakened,  sank,  and  remained  so  long  immersed  that  his 
companion  gave  him  up  as  lost.  At  last  he  rose,  and 
almost  by  a  miracle,  himself  could  not  tell  how,  he  too 
reached  the  land.  Barely  sustaining  life  on  a  pheasant( 
which  Zeisberger  shot,  they  proceeded  to  Onondaga.  | 
In  its  vicinity  they  met  Hahotschaunquas,  who  had  I 
ignobly  fled  from  Zonesschio  and  left  them  to  their  fate.^ 

The  news  which  awaited  them  at  the  capital  was 
not  encouraging.  Ganassateco  had  gone  to  Oswego 
without  laying  their  message  before  the  Council.  A 
week  passed  before  he  returned,  and  then  he  could 
scarcely  be  persuaded  to  fulfill  his  promise.  Yielding, 
at  last,  to  the  urgency  of  Zeisberger's  arguments,  the 
sachems  were  convened. 

The  message  embraced  three  points:  greetings  from^ 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren ;  a  request  that  two  or  threel 
of  her  members  be  allowed  to  live  at  Onondaga,  and  im 
other  towns  of  the  Confederacy,  in  order  to  learn  the! 
languages  of  the  Iroquois ;  and  a  petition  from  the 
Nanticokes  of  Wyoming  to  have  a  smith-shop  erected 


ml 


H^  ■ 


mr 


!i-i 


M 


T'  ■  if- 


t 


'.Ui' 

J' ''Ml 
^     J 


174 


l/fje:  ^iVi>  y/i/i75  of 


among  them,  uuder  the  auspices  of  the  Mission  Board, 
like  that  at  Shamokin, 

In  response  the  Council  accepted  the  greetings  of  the 
IChurch,  permitted  any  two  of  her  members  to  live 
jamong  the  Six  Nations  and  learn  their  languages,  but 
irejected  the  petition  of  the  Nauticokes,  who  were  told 
Jto  frequent  the  smithy  at  Shamokin. 

The  chief  end  wnich  they  had  in  view  having  thus 
been  gained,  Cammerholi"  and  Zei?berger  took  their 
way  from  Onondaga  to  Ganatocherat,  where  they  found 
Hahotschaunquas  with  their  horses.  Having  disposed 
of  these,  and  bidden  farewell  to  their  guide,  who,  in 
spite  of  his  faithlessness  in  the  Seneca  country,  had 
served  them  well,  they  entered  their  canoe,  and  floating 
down  the  Chemung,  passed  into  the  Susquehanna. 
Animated  by  the  prospect  of  a  speedy  return  to  the 
settlements,  Zeisberger  propelled  the  canoe  with  rapid 
strokes,  while  Cammerhoff's  gushing  heart  found  utter- 
ance in  liymns  of  praise. 

A  sign  from  Zeisberger  interrupted  him.  *'See,"  he 
/'whispered  as  he  guided  the  canoe  to  the  bank,  *'  there 
is  a  flock  of  wild  turkeys  just  perched  for  a  shot !" 
Seizing  his  rifle,  he  crept  noiselessly  through  a  patch 
of  high  grass,  when,  on  a  sudden,  a  familiar  but 
terrible  sound  made  him  stop  short.  In  the  next  in- 
stant a  gigantic  rattlesnake,  with  distended  jaws,  darted 
toward  him  and  bit  his  leg.  The  thick  buckskin  log- 
gins  wiiich  he  wore,  heavily  ornamented  with  frii!ge8, 
saved  his  life. 

Five  days  later,  they  reached  Wyoming,  and  on  the 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


175 


ill,) 
ley] 


sixth  of  August,  Shamokin.     Cammerhoff  was  very 
and  spent  a  week  in  the  Mission  House.     Then  they 
took  horses  and  rode  rapidly  toward  the  settlements. 

On  the  seventeenth,  an  hour  after  midnight,  they 
entered  Bethlehem.  According  to  a  computation 
made  at  the  time — which,  however,  in  the  very  nature 
of  the  case  could  not  be  exact — they  had  traveled 
more  than  sixteen  hundred  miles  on  horseback,  afoot, 
and  in  their  canoes. 


IM  ' 


m 


1'  .  f.      I  '1'  ; 


iiM'l': 


176 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


\W"i      ■ 

Hi- 


'I. 


V\ 


CHAPTER   IX. 

HIS  VISIT  TO  EUROPE  AND  FIRST  LABORS  AFTER  HIS  RETURN. 

1750-1752. 

Hostilities  rcnowocl  bfitween  England  and  Fr.inco.— The  loyalty  of  the 
Moravians  att'icked. — Interview  between  Governor  Hamilton  and 
Bishop  Cammerhoff. — Progress  of  the  Mission. — ;_nsberger  visits 
Europe. — Pevilous  voyage. — Stay  at  Herrnhut. — Appointed  perpetual 
missioniiry  to  the  Indians. — Iveturn  to  America. — Death  of  Cam- 
raerhofi". — Prosperity  of  the  Mission. — Explorations  of  Gist,  and  treaty 
at  Albany. — Zei.sberger  at  Gnadenhutten,  ^.hamokin,  and  Wyoming. 
— Bishop  Spangenberg's  return. — Bishop  Hehl. — Zeisberger  at  Sha- 
mokin. — Apjiointed  to  Onondaga. — Great  deputation  of  the  Shawa- 
nese  and  Nanticokes  to  Gnadenhutten  and  Bethlehem. 

Ab»)UT  tlie  time  of  Zcisberger's  return  from  Onondaga 
an  event  occurred  which  led  to  serious  consequences, 
affecting  the  peace  of  the  whole  country.  In  so  far  as 
the  American  Colonies  were  concerned,  the  conflicting 
interests  of  England  and  France  had  not  been  adjusted 
at  Aix-la-Chapelle.  Each  continued  to  struggle  for 
supremacy  in  the  New  World,  At  the  head  of  three 
hundred  men,  De  Bienville  passed  through  the  valleys 
of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the  Ohio,  and  laid  title  to  both, 
in  the  name  of  France,  burying,  under  an  oak  on  the 
southern  bank  of  the  Ohio,  a  plate  of  lead  with  an  in- 
scription setting  forth  this  claim.' 

The    English,  on   their   part,  organized  the  "Ohio 


>  Bancroft's  U.S.,iv.  42,  43. 


iM 


DAVID   ZEISBERGER. 


177 


Company,"  and  founded  the  town  of  Halifax,  in  !N"ova 
Scotia.  Thither  the  French  immediately  began  to  press. 
At  Chiegnecto,  now  Fort  Lawrence,  on  the  isthmus  be- 
tween Nova  Scotia  and  the  main-land.  La  Carne  estab- 
lished himself.  This  post  lay  within  the  jurisdiction  of 
Great  Britain ;  and  an  expedition  was  sent  against  it 
from  Halifax,  which,  however,  accomplished  nothing, 
not  venturing  an  attack.  But  in  August,  1750,  a  second 
attempt  was  made,  and  Chiegnecto  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  British.  Thus  was  blood  again  shed  between  Eng- 
land and  France  ;  and,  sooner  or  later,  another  war  be- 
came inevitable. 

Under  such  circumstances,  amid  a  general  feeling 
of  uneasiness  which  pervaded  the  Colonies — and  which 
the  capture  of  a  French  brigantine,  off  Cape  Sable, 
by  the  British  ship  of  war  "Albany,"  served  to  intensify^ 
— the  enemies  of  the  Moravians  had  abundant  opportu- 
nities to  malign  them.  That  the  Church  stood  in 
league  with  the  French,  formed  an  accusation  which 
was  not  given  up  until  five  years  later,  when  it  was 
fearfully  disproved  by  the  bleeding  corpses  of  her  mis- 
sionaries. While  at  Onondaga,  Bishop  Cammerhotf 
had  received  a  letter  from  Aaron  Stevens,  Colonial 
Literpreter  at  Albany,  demanding  to  know  the  purpose 
of  his  negotiations  with  the  Iroquois.  And  now  the 
newspapers  made  his  visit  the  occasion  of  bitter  attacks 
upon  his  own  loyalty  and  that  of  the  Church.  He  was 
proclaimed   to   be  an    emissary  of   France,  who  had 


»  Bancroft's  U.  S.,  iv.  73, 
12 


I 


P; 


'!■.   I 


178 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


endeavored  to  entice  the  Six  Nations  from  their  com- 
pact with  the  English.  Governor  Hamilton,  whose 
suspicions  had  thus  been  aroused,  cited  him  to  Phila- 
delpliia,  and  had  an  interview  with  him  (February  8, 
1751)  at  the  house  of  Secretary  Peters.  The  bishop 
gave  a  circumstantial  account  of  his  negotiations,  and 
explained  the  prospect  which  the  Church  had  in  vicv 
to  bring  about  the  conversion  and  civilization  of  the 
Iroquois.  Hamilton  was  satisfied,  but  not  the  public. 
Indeed,  as  the  Governor  informed  him,  the  privileges 
granted  by  Parliament  to  the  Moravians,  and  the  ac- 
knowledging of  their  Church  as  an  ancient  Episcopal 
body,  had  excited  the  utmost  envy  among  some  other 
religious  denominations.  Hence  their  persistent  ac- 
cusations.* 

Nevertheless  the  Indian  Mission  continued  to  flourish. 
During  Zeisberger's  absence  a  spirit  of  inquiry  had  been 
awakened  in  the  villages  of  the  Delawares,  and  of  other 
tribes,  along  the  Susquehanna;  many  visitors  had  come 
to  Gnadenhiitten  in  order  to  hear  the  word  of  God; 
in  some  instances,  heathen  Indians  had  voluntarily  as- 
sembled to  talk  of  Christ.  The  Board  had  sent  out  as 
many  missionaries  as  possible,  who  were  traversing  the 
wilderness  and  breaking  to  its  famishing  children  the 
bread  of  life.  But  their  number  was  loo  small  to  sup- 
pl}'  all  who  hungered  and  thirsted  after  righteousness. 

Zeisberger  would  have    esteemed  it  a   privilege    to 


1  Copy  of  a  letter,  dated  Fob.  9,  1761,  Philadelphia,  from   Cammer- 
hoflf  to  Bishop  John  do  Wuttevillo. 


-IPS 


DAVID  ZEISBERGEft. 


179 


|ig  the 
ju  the 
8  up- 
less ., 
Isre   to 


liimmer- 


assist  in  this  work  had  not  the  Board  commissioned  him 
and  Nathaniel  Soldel  to  visit  Europe,  in  order  to  report 
to  Count  Zinzendorf  and  his  coadjutors  the  character 
which  the  Mission  was  assuming,  as  well  as  to  explain  its 
difficulties  and  necessities.  They  sailed  in  the  "Irene," 
Captain  Garrison,  on  the  second  of  September.* 

The  earlji.years  of  Zejsberger's  missionary  life  were  a 
succession  of  journeys,  and  the  journeys  a  succession  of 
dangers  and  escapes.  What  the  apostle  of  the  Gentiles 
said  of  himself,  when  writing  to  the  Corinthian  Church, 
this  apostle  of  the  Indians  could  reiterate:  "In  journey- 
ings  often,  in  perils  of  waters,  in  perils  of  robbers,  in 
perils  by  mine  own  countrymen,  in  perils  by  the  hea- 
then, in  perils  in  the  city,  in  perils  in  the  wilderness,  in 
perils  in  the  sea,  in  perils  among  false  brethren;  in  wea- 
riness and  painfulness,  in  watchings  often,  in  hunger  and 
thirst,  in  fastings  often,  in  cold  and  nakedness."^  He 
had  just  returned  from  a  tour  in  the  wilderness  of 
America,  marked  by  hardships  and  sufferings  of  the 
most  extraordinary'  kind;  and  now,  upon  the  bosom  of 
the  Atlantic,  new  risks  surrounded  him,  and  again 
brought  him  within  a  step  of  death.  At  first  the  voy- 
age was  prosperous,  but  at  five  o'clock  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  twentieth,  a  tremendous  hurricane  struck 
<^he  vessel,  and  raged  for  a  day  and  a  night  with  the 


•'  T  ic  "  Irene"  was  «  s«ow,  huilt  at  Now  York  for  the  use  of  mi?sion- 
ario?  and  immigrants,  and  owned  by  the  Church.  Sho  cleared  the  port 
for  the  first  time  on  Sept.  8,  1748,  and  was  used  until  1758,  when  she  fell 
a  prey  to  a  French  privateer,  and  while  on  her  way  to  Capo  Breton,  in 
charge  of  a  prize  crew,  was  wrecked  and  totally  lost. 

•^  II.  Cor.  XX.  26  and  27. 


\m 


II- i 


180 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


utmost  fury.  "She  cannot  live  an  hour,"  said  Captain 
Garrison;  "our  only  hope  is  to  cut  away  the  masts." 
"While  preparing  to  do  this,  both  the  masts  snapped 
asunder  like  dried-up  reeds,  and  the  hull  rolled  help- 
lessly in  the  trough  of  the  sea.  On  the  second  day  after 
this  disaster  a  ship  hove  in  sight  and  steered  for  the 
wreck,  which  had  hoisted  signals  of  distress.  It  proved 
to  be  a  Danish  merchantman  from  St.  Christopher, 
commanded  by  Captain  A.  Remmack,  who  supplied 
the  "Irene"  with  yards,  a  top-gallant  mast,  and  whatever 
else  of  rigging  he  could  spare.  Jury-maats  were  put 
up,  and  she  proceeded  on  her  voyage  ;  but  the  weather 
continued  so  unpropitious  that  week  after  week  passed 
and  she  made  no  land.  At  last,  toward  the  middle 
of  K'oveniber,  when  provisions  had  begun  to  fail,  and 
that  most  terrible  of  all  experiences — famine  at  sea — 
threatened,  the  shores  of  England  loomed  into  view, 
and,  on  the  fourteenth  of  the  month,  the  vessel  dropped 
anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Portsmouth,  after  a  voyage  of 
seventy-eight  days. 

By  way  of  London,  Zeisberger  and  Seidel  proceeded 
to  Holland,  and  thence  to  Ilerrnhut,  where  they  arrived 
on  the  nineteenth  of  December.  "  We  reached  Ilerrn- 
hut safely  and  in  a  happy  frame  of  mind,"  writes  Zeis- 
berger, "  Our  coming  was  immediately  announced  to 
Count  Zinzendorf;  but  we  waited  from  day  to  day,  until 
a  week  had  passed,  without  being  invited  to  visit  him. 
We  could  not  imagine  to  what  this  was  owing.  At  last 
Bishop  de  Watteville  informed  us  that  the  intelligence 
of  the  feud  which  had  broken  out  at  Bethlehem  be- 


-gjljjggm 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


181 


tween  the  European  and  American  members  of  the  • 
Church,  and  the  consequent  withdrawal  of  a  number  of  ' 
active  men,  among  whom  was  that  most  zealous  agent 
of  the  Lord,  Henry  Antes,  had  so  depressed  his  mind 
that  he  refused  to  receive  any  one  except  his  son-in-law, 
and  that  not  even  the  name  America  must  be  mentioned 
in  his  presence."  ^  Finally,  however,  Zinzendorf  desired 
an  interview.  Watteville  introduced  them  with  these 
words, — "  Here  are  two  messengers  from  the  Indian 
country,  who  can  tell  yor  many  things  concerning  the 
Mission  there;  otherwise  they  have  nothing  to  say  about 
America."  The  Count  smiled  pleasantly  at  this  remark, 
and  greeted  them  with  his  usual  affability. 

Zeisberger  remained  in  Germany  half  a  yea?,  spend- 
ing the  most  of  the  time  at  lierrnhut.  He  had  frequent 
conversations  with  Zinzendorf,  and  gave  him  a  full  re- 
port of  the  work  among  tho  Indians.  The  Count  was 
deeply  interested,  and  conceived  so  high  a  regard  for 
Zeisberger  that  he  appointed  him  perpetual  misHionary 
to  this  peoplo,  and  laid  upoti  him  a  .special  blessirig  with 
the  imposition  of  hands,^ 

On  the  fifth  of  June^l751,  Zeisberger  and  Seidel 
lai^IIerrnhut  for  America.  The  '*  Irene,"  having  been 
thoroughly  repaiied,  again  conveyed  them  across  tho 
Atlantic;  and  they  reached  l!Tew  York  on  the  twenty- 
fourth  of  September.     Four  days  later,  Zeisberger  was 


1  Ilcckewoldor's  Biographical  Sketch.     MS.  Lib.  Mora.  Hist.  Soc. 

'  Ilcckewoldor's  MS.  Biographical  Sketch.     The  intention  of  this  ap- 
pointment evidently  was  that  Zeisberger  should  never  be  employed  by^ 
tho  Church  in  any  work  other  than  the  Indian  Mission. 


f 


182 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


M?' 


\ 


y'' 


ouce  more  in  the  midst  of  his  associates  at  Bethlehem, 
eager  to  resume  the  work  which,  by  an  extraordinary 
commission  of  the  Church,  had  now  been  given  to  him 
as  the  sole  purpose  of  his  life. 

The  lirst  news  "vhich  he  heard  was  of  a  distressing 
character.  Cammerhotf  slept  in  death.  The  hardships 
of  the  journey  to  Onondaga  had  exhausted  his  feeble 
frame,  and  he  had  breathed  his  last  on  the  twenty-eighth 
of  April,  universally  lamented  in  the  Church  and  among 
the  Indians.  His  influence  over  the  latter  had  been 
extraordinary.  In  the  four  years  of  his  ministry  he 
had  baptized  eighty-nine  of  them ;  and,  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century  subsequent  to  his  death,  Zeisberger 
found  warriors,  in  the  Western  country,  who  called  him 
"  a  great  man,"  and  mentioned  his  name  with  reverence. 

The  Mission,  however,  was  in  a  prosperous  state.  At 
Gnadenhiitteu  the  organization  of  the  Church  had  been 
perfected,  by  introducing  a  woll-devised  system  of  dis- 
cipline ;  and,  in  order  to  provide  for  the  temporal 
wants  of  the  visitors  who  were  flocking  to  the  town, 
an  additional  tract  of  land,  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Lehigh,  had  been  purchased  and  divided  among  the 
converts  by  lot.  Nor  was  their  spiritual  condition  less 
encouraging.  Many  had  been  converted.  Even  the 
savages  who  came  to  the  settlement  had  often  been 
impressed,  anu  had  spoken  to  their  people  at  home  of 
the  "  great  words"  which  had  been  preached  to  them. 
A  Shawanese  had  traveled  three  hundred  miles  fryni. 
the  Ohio,  in  order  to  hear  the  Gospel,  At  Meniola- 
gomekah,  likewise,  the  work  flourished,  in  spite  of  the 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


183 


interference  of  certain  settlers,  who  claimed  the  land, 
and  to  escape  whose  persecutions  George  Rex  and  his 
tribe  were  preparing  to  emigrate. 

In  the  history  of  the  Colonies,  two  events  of  im- 
portance had  transpired  during  Zeisberger's  absence. 
While  he  was  sailing  across  the  Atlantic,  that  bold 
ndvunturcr,  Christopher  Gist,  at  the  instance  of  the 
•'Oliin  (^niiipiiiiy,"  liad  left  the  shores  of  the  Potomac, 
and  explored  the  laiuls  in  the  valley  of  the  Ohio,  west 
of  the  gloat  niKuntains.  lie  hnd  visited  the  Mus- 
khiguni  and  the  Hcioto ;  crosHcd  the  Little  and  the 
Great  Miami;  and  ponntrated  to  within  fifteen  niilos 
of  the  Falls  of  Louisville.  Thus  the  Uulitnios,  for 
the  first  time,  obtained  correct  knowledge  of  the  vast 
resources  of  that  country  where  a  republic  should 
develop  its  strength  in  some  of  its  most  marvelous 
forms,  and  where,  prior  to  the  coming  of  the  white 
man,  Zoisberger  should  build  up  a  community  of 
Christian  Indians  that  would  excite  the  astonishment 
of  settler  and  savage  alike.  The  other  event  had  been 
a  great  treaty,  held  at  Albany,  with  the  Iroquois  (July, 
1751),  on  which  occasion  the  hereditary  feud  between 
them  and  the  Catawbas  had  been  settled,  and  the 
representatives  of  the  two  people  had  smoked  togetlier 
the  sacred  pjpe  of  geace.  At  the  same  time.  South 
Carolina,  which  had  been  standing  aloof  from  confedera- 
tion, joined  New  York,  Connecticut,  awd  Massachusetts 
in  council,  so  that  another  step  had  been  taken  toward  a 
future  union  of  all  the  Colonies.* 


»  Bancroft's  U.  S.,  iv.  88  and  89. 


184 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


f;i 


I 


II   ^ 


Zelaberger  first  visited  Gnadenhutten,  where  he 
introduced  to  the  Indians  John  Jacob  Schmick,  who 
liad  come  with  him  from  Europe,  in  response  to  the 
call  of  the  Board.  He  was  an  alumnus  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Kcinigsberg,  and  took  charge  of  the  Mission 
School.  In  subsequent  times  he  became  a  s'  cessful 
//lissionary  in  the  West.' 

The  next  journey  which  Zeisberger  undertook  was  to 
Shamokiii,  and  through  the  region  of  the  Susquehanna 
as  far  as  "Wyoming.  Gottlieb  Bozold  accompanied  him.'' 
They  preached  the  Gospel  wherever  an  opportunity 
ofi:'ered,  and  visited  the  scattered  lodges  of  the  converts. 
In  the  begiuii.ag  of  November  they  returned  to  Beth- 
lehem. 

Thither  came  J3ishop  Spangenberg  (Decembei-  10th), 
ia  order  to  resume  his  place  at  the  head  of  the  Church. 
The  difi'erences  of  opinion,  which  had  estranged  from 
him  some  of  his  brethren,  were  settled,  and  he  again 
enjoyed,  as  he  so  richly  deserved,  their  implicit  con- 
fidence, lie  succeeded  in  healing  the  hurt  which  Beth- 
lehem had  received,  by  reason  of  those  jealousies  that 
had  filled  Zir  ^-eudorf  s  heart  with  sorrow,  and  he  in- 
fused new  life  into  the  work  among  the  Indians,  partic- 
ularly on  the  occasion  of  a  Synod  convened  soon  after 


>  Schmick  was  born  at  Konigsberg,  in  Prussia,  October  9,  1714. 
He  was  a  Lutheran  Pastor  in  Livonia,  where  he  became  acquainted 
with  the  Moravians.    In  1748,  ho  joined  them. 

2  Born  November  1,  1720,  at  Bischofswerda,  Saxony;  died  April  1, 
17G2,  while  on  a  visit  to  Litiz.  He  was  the  Elder-General  of  all  the 
unmarried  men  or  "Single  Brethren,"  as  they  were  called,  belonging 
to  the  American  Moravian  Church. 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


185 


his  arrival.  Witli  him  was  associated  Bishop  Matthew 
Hehl,  an  alumnus  of  the  University  of  TUbingeu,  an 
eloquent  preacher  and  a  worthy  successor  of  Cammer- 
liotf.  He  took  up  his  residence  eventually  at  Litiz  as 
superintendent  of  the  churches  in  that  part  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, remaining,  however,  a  corresponding  member  of 
the  Board. ^ 

In  the  iirst  month  of  th  new  year  (1752)  Zeisberger 
went  to  his  old  post  at  Shamokin.  He  was  the  bearer 
of  a  message  and  belt  of  wampum  from  Spangenberg  to 
ThachnecLtoris.  This  message,  which  forms  a  specimen 
of  the  bishop's  style  of  addressing  the  Indians,  ran  thus : 

"  I  have  been  over  the  Great  Water,  but  I  did  not  for- 
get you.  I  have  kept  you  in  kindly  remembrance.  Now 
I  have  returned,  and  bring  you  greeting  from  your 
brother  Tgarihontie  and  his  dear  father  Johanan,  which 
this  belt  of  wampum  testifies.  Our  dear  brother,  the 
blacksmith,  we  would  like  to  see  at  Bethlehem.  Let 
him  come.  Here  is  our  dear  brother  Ganousseracheri ; 
he  will  remain  with  you  a  time.     Hold  him  dear."  ^ 

Zeisberger  faithfully  preached  the  Gospel  at  Shamokin, 
but..iiia.lifiart^was  with  the  Six  Nations.  In  a  letter  to 
the  Board,'  written  about  this  time,  he  referred  to  the 
progress  of  religion  at  Gnadenhiitten  in  these  wordn: 
"  I  rtyoice  to  hear  of  the  revival  at  Gnadenhiitten;  but  I 
will  rejoice  still  more  when  a  church  like  that  will  have 
been  established  among  the  Aquanoschioni.     I  will  not 


1  He  was  born  in  1704  in  Wurtemberg,  and  died  at  Litiz  in  1787. 

»  Bethlehem  Diary.  MS.  B.  A. 

»  Copy  of  letter,  Feb,  28,  1762,  in  Diary  of  Bethl     em.    MS.  B.  A. 


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186 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


U'i' 


be  satisfied  until  this  is  accomplished;  I  am  ou  their 
side.     Who  knows  what  the  Lord  may  do?"     These 

(longings  for  the  Iroquois  country  were  soon  satisfied. 

fHe  was  appointed  to  take  up  his  abode  at  Onondaga, 

iagreeably  to  the  compact  made  with  the  Council. 

He  first  joined  a  party  consisting  of  Spangenberg, 
Seidel,  Sehraick,  and  Kaske,  that  went  to  Shamokin  and 

i  the  valley  of  Wyoming,  in  order  to  preach  the  Gospel. 

]  In  the  course  of  this  tour  fifty  bushels  of  wheat  were 

1  distributed.  This  induced  a  body  of  one  hundred 
and  seven  IN'anticokes  and   Shawauese  to  visit  Gnad- 

i  enhiitten  (July,  1751)  and  thank  the  Board  for  their 
kindness.  Spangenberg,  Zeisberger,  several  other  cler- 
gymen of  Bethlehem,  all  the  resident  missionaries  of  the 
station,  together  with  the  converts;  met  them  in  council, 
and  established  a  covenant  of  friendship,  whose  chain 
should  never  be  broken  as  long  as  the  great  God  should 
permit  the  world  to  stand.  A  few  days  later  the  most 
of  these  visitors  proceeded  to  Bethlehem,  where  they 
were  hospitably  entertained,  and  a  second  council  was 
held.  Returning  to  Wyoming,  they  spread  throughout 
the  Indian  country  the  fame  of  Bethlehem  and  its 
teachers. 


"^. 


PAVID  ZEISBERQER. 


187 


CHAPTER  X. 

ZEISBERGER  A  RESIDENT  AT  ONONDAGA.— 1752. 

Object  of  Zeisberger's  residence  at  Onondaga. — Journey  thither  with 
Kundt  and  Macli. — Interference  of  Oneida  sachems. — Meeting  of  tho 
Grand  Council. — Speeches  and  replies.— Zcisberger  and  llundt  re- 
main at  Onondaga. — Mack  returns  to  Bethleham. — Indian  life  at  the 

capital. — Lamentations  for  the  dead. — Funerals  and  inheritances. 

Widows  and  mourning.- Councils.— War-parties.— Cannibalism.— 
A  day  of  barter  with  an  agent  of  Sir  William  Johnson.— Drunken- 
ness.—Zeisberger's  Iroquois  Dictionary.— liundl  adopted.— Zeisberger 
visits  Oswego.- Goes  to  the  Cayuga  country.— Zeisberger  attacked  and 
cruelly  beaten  by  a  trader. — Keturns  to  Onondaga. — Twenty  kegs  of 
Kum. — Leaves  for  Bethlehem. 

The  purpose  of  the  journey  which  Zeisherger  at  thisV 
time  undertook  to  Onondaga  was  not,  in  tho  first  in-! 
stance,  to  officiate  as  a  missionary,  but  to  perfect  himself  j 
l^LJiielroauoisjlmlects  and^gain  a  more  "thorough  ac-t 
guaintance^2X!i!^„their_^  Such  were  the  instruc- ,' 

tions  of  the  Board.  He  had  been  adopted  by  the  Six  / 
Nations;  now  he  was  to  be  nationalized  among  them,  so  1 
that  he  might  eventually  preach  the  Gospel  to  them  as  a  J 
brother  in  name  and  fact. 

However  much  forethought  this  plan  displayed,  it  was 
radically  unwise.  It  tended  to  mislead  the  Iroquois  as 
to  the  real  object  of  the  Church,  and  was  calculated  to 
place  her  missionaries  in  a  false  position.  Of  this  Zeis- 
berger soon  became  convinced. 

The  party  leaving  for  the  Iroquois  country  consisted, 


188 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


besides  himself,  of  Martin  Mack  and  Godfrey  Rundt. 
Mack  was  commissioned  to  take  part  in  the  negotiations 
with  the  Council,  and  then  return  to  Bethlehem  and 
report  their  result.  Rundt,  a  novice  in  Indian  life,  but 
willing  to  learn  its  hardships,  acted  as  Zeisberger's  as- 
sistant. In  his  own  country,  he  had  served  in  the  army 
of  Holstein  as  a  hautboy ist;  now  he  was  a  poet,  and 
beguiled  their  weary  way,  and  their  adventurous  abode 
among  the  Six  Nations,  by  descriptions,  in  quaint  verse, 
of  their  various  experiences.* 

In*  the  evening  of  the  twenty-first  of  July,  they  left 
Bethlehem  for  New  York,  where  they  embarked  in  a 
sloop  for  Albany,  and  thence  proceeded  on  foot,  with 
one  pack-horse. 

Their  way  led  them  through  that  district  of  country, 

back  of  the  Hudson,  which  the  brawny  arm  of  industry 

was  developing,  and  they  were  astonished  at  the  many 

( changes  that  they  saw.  At  "William's  Fort  w^as  an  Indian 

f 

\  Mission,  in  charge  of  Ogilvie,  an  Anglican  minister ;  at 
'  Canajoharie  they  found  a  similar  enterprise,  inaugurated 
iby  the  same  cburch.     Along  the  Mohawk,  Dutch  settle- 
ments and  German  plantations  were  multiplying;   the 
last  V.  f  these,  the  homestead  of  one  Kash,  lay  in  the  Oneida 


*  Eine  Collection  verschiedener  Gedanken  bei  diverse  •  Umstanden  und 
Vorgiingen  unserer  Onondnger  Iteise,  und  tinsers  dortigen  Aufenhalts. 
Auctore  O.  Rundt.  MS.  B.  A.  Charles  Godfrey  Eundt  was  born  at 
Konigsberg,  May  30, 1713 ;  entered  the  army  of  Holstein  as  a  musician  . 
joined  the  Church  at  Ilerrnhut  in  1747;  emigrated  to  America  in  1751, 
and  became  an  itinerant  missionary  among  the  Indians  and  white  sot- 
tiers  ;  died  at  Bethlehem,  August  17,  1764. 

'  Mack's  Journal  of  the  Journe;^.     MS.  B.  A. 


•1 


DAVID  ZEISBEROER. 


189 


country,  a  day's  journey  beyond  the  Rapids,  now  Little 
Falls,  in  Herkimer  County.  A  new  source  of  traffic,  too, 
had  been  opened  in  that  region.  The  ginseng  root,  that\ 
much-coveted  panacea  of  the  Chinese,  began  to  be  in 
great  demand,  on  account  of  the  increasing  exportations 
of  it  to  their  country.  It  was  collected  by  the  Indians ' 
and  sold  to  traders  at  a  high  price.  Zeisberger's  party 
met  a  body  of  more  than  one  hundred  Iroquois  digging 
up  these  roots. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Kash's  cabin  were  encamped  four 
prominent  Oneida   sachems,  with  a  large  number  of 
their  followers.     These  unexpectedly  forbade  the  mis- 
sionaries to  continue  their  journey  to  Onondaga.     "  We 
have  been  warned  by  a  white  man  to  beware  of  you 
and  of  your  Brethren,"  they  said.     "He   has  told  us  ; 
many  evil  things  of  you.    He  has  advised  us  to  send  you  , 
out  of  our  country.     To-morrow  morning  you  must  turn  ) 
back  and  go  to  live  in  your  own  towns."     Zeisberger's  , 
expostulations  were   received  with   a  fierce    threat   to 
murder  them  all  if  they  ventured  to  proceed. 

In  this  dilemma,  his  knowledge  of  Iroquois  usages, 
did  him  good  service.     He  proposed  a  council,  to  be  ! 
held,  in  the  manner  of  the  Six  Nations,  on  the  next  day.  ' 
Such  a   request   seemed   eminently  reasonable  to  the^ 
sachems,  and  they  granted  it  at  once.     At  this  council  j 
he  succeeded  in  overcoming  their  opposition  by  a  brief 
speech,  in  the  sententious  style  of  the  Indian  orator,  and 
by  explaining  the   import  of  the  strings  of  wampum 
which  he  was  carrying  to  the  Grand  Council.     Indeed, 
the  Oneidas  were  so  fully  pacified  that  they  dispatched 


■cL' 


'-l.^ 


190 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


K  ' 


w 


runners  to  the  Cayuga  and  Seneca  nation8  to  summon 
their  headmen  to  Onondaga,  in  order  to  receive  the 
missionaries,  who  reached  the  capital  in  the  afternoon 
of  the  twentieth  of  August,  and  found  a  hospitable 
welcome  in  the  lodge  of  Ganatschiagaje. 

On  the  following  morning  they  had  a  preliminary 
interview  with  the  local  council  of  the  town.  Three 
days  after  that  they  met  a  part  of  the  Grand  Council, 
at  the  hour  of  noon.  There  were  present  Thagechtate, 
Tolchactone,  Ilanazaeni,  and  Thojanoca,  sachems  of  the 
Senecas ;  Gletterowannee,  a  sachem  of  the  Ca^ugas ; 
Otschinochiata,  Ganatschiagaje,  Garachguntie,  and  Ha- 
tachsocu,  saohems  of  Upper  Onondaga;  Zagona  and 
Ganechronca,  saclicms  of  Lower  Onondaga ;  Shegual- 
lisere,  a  sachem  of  the  Tuscaroras;  and  more  than 
twenty  other  Indians.  Gietterowanne  was  the  speaker 
on  the  one  side ;  Zeisberger  on  the  other.  These  two 
consulted  together  privately;  Zeisberger  unfolding  the 
import  of  the  strings,  and  Gietterowanne  committing 
to  memory  what  he  said. 

Thus  prepared,  he  rose,  and  exhorted  the  Council 
to  give  ear  to  what  he  had  to  recite.  By  way  of  intro- 
duction, he  chanted  the  Indian  names  of  Zeisberger 
and  Mack,  and  of  all  other  Moravian  missionaries  and 
bishops  known  to  the  Six  Nations,  mentioning  par- 
ticularly Johanan  as  a  man  of  note  and  influence. 
Taking  up  the  first  string  ot  wampum,  he  continued : 

"  They  are  sent  by  cur  brothers  Johanan  (Zin- 
zendorf),  Tgarihontie  (Watteville),  Tgirhitontie  (Sparj&: 
euberg),   Anuntschi  (Seidel),  and  by  the  rest  of  the 


gmdmm 


DAVID  ZEISBEROER. 


191 


par- 
ence. 
Id: 

the 


Brethren,  on  this  side  and  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Great  "Water,  in  order  to  bring  words  to  the  Aquano- 
schioui,  and  they  hope  that  their  chiefs  will  receive 
these  favorably,  although  they  do  not  fully  know  how 
to  express  them." 

The  string  was  hung  upon  one  of  the  poles  under  ^ 
the  roof  of  the  house,  and  accepted  with  a  loud' 
Juheh! 

Grasping  the  second  string,  he  proceeded :  "  Our 
brothers  inform  the  Aquanoschioni  that  Gallichwio 
(Camraerhoff)  is  dead.  They  loved  him  ^/ell,  and 
know  that  he  loved  the  Indians  well.  Tney  were 
sorry  to  part  with  him,  but  they  are  assured  that  his 
spirit  has  gone  to  their  God,  whom  he  faithfully  served, 
and  therefore  they  do  not  mourn.  They  would  have 
brought  these  news  sooner,  but  several  of  their  chiefs 
were  on  a«»'visit  beyond  the  Great  "Water,  and  they  could 
not  send  an  embassy  until  their  return."  I 

This  string  was  disposed  of  and  accepted  in  the  same^^ 
manner  as  the  first. 

Holding  up  the  third,  he  began  again :  "  Our 
brothers  inform  us  that  Tgirhitontie  (Spangenberg), 
Anuntschi  (Seidel),  and  Ganousseracheri  (Zeisberger), 
who  is  present  here,  have  come  back  from  their  visit 
beyond  the  Great  Water,  and  bring  to  the  Aquano- 
schioni fraternal  greetings  from  Tgarihontie  (Watteville) 
and  Johanan,  his  father." 

Finally  the  speaker  took  the  fourth,  and  said:  "Our 
brother  Ganousseracheri,  and  a  white  brother,  hufQ 
come  to  live  among  the  Aquanoschioni,  according  to 


1 


192 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


the  compact  made,  two  years  ago,  with  Galliehwio,  that 
they  may  learn  our  language." 

These  two  fatruigs  having  also  been  received  and 
suspended  from  the  pole,  Zeisberger  delivered  presents 

/  of  linen,  thread,  and  tobacco.    The  speaker  announced 
each  gift  as  it  was  put  on  a  blanket,  at  the  feet  of  the 

'   sachems.    These  directed  two  of  the  Indians  who  were 

\  in  attendance  to  make  three  shares,  one  of  which  was 
given  to  the  Cayuga  chief,  another  to  the  Senecas,  and 
the  third  to  the  Onondagas.  The  third  share  was  again 
divided  between  the  chiefs  from  Upper  and  Lower 
Onondaga.  In  the  same  manner  the  four  strings  of 
wampum    were   distributed.      And    now    the    Council 

)  once  more  broke  out  into  a  very  loud  Jiiheh  ! 

On  leaving,  the 'sachems  shook  hands  with  the  mis- 
sionaries, assuring  them  that  they  would  take  their 
messages  into  immediate  consideration,  and  return  an 
answer  before  the  sun  set.  Expeditiousness  such  as 
this  was  so  contrary  to  their  usual  habits  that  Zeis- 
berger doubted  its  reality.  But  in  the  afternoon,  at 
four  o'clock,  the  Council  actually  convened  and  opened 
with  the  customary  formalities.  The  following  replies 
were  given,  each  corroborated  by  a  string  of  wampum, 
to  the  four  points  presented  by  the  embassy : 

"  Brothers,  we  have  heard  that  Tgirhitontie  and 
Anuntschi,  our  brothers,  that  their  Brethren,  and  even 
those  beyond  the  Great  Water,  among  whom  is  a  man 
of  influence  who  directs  the  affairs  of  your  people,  also 
Tgarihontie,  have  sent  messengers  to  the  Aquano- 
Bchioni  to  tell  them  words.     We  have  well  understood 


'i 


'■i 


4 


4 
K 

^ 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


193 


their  words.  "We  were  glad  to  hear  them.  We  thank 
you  that  you  have  commissioned  Ganach''agejat  (Mack), 
Ganousseracheri,  and  this  white  brother  (Rundt),  to 
come  among  us.  "We  rejoice  also  to  hear  that  you 
and  your  Brethren  are  well,  and  sit  around  your  coun- 
cil-fire in  peace. 

"  Brother  Tgirhitontie,  you  and  your  Brethren,  those 
also  beyond  the  Great  Water,  have  informed  us  that 
our  Brother  Gallichwio  is  dead.  Therefore,  Brother 
Tgirhitontie,  the  Aquanoschioni  say  to  you,  give 
diligence  to  seek  out  among  your  Brethren  another 
Gallichwio ;  for  of  this  we  are  assured  that  he  loved 
the  Aquanoschioni  well,  and  was  toward  them  an 
upright,  honest  man,  in  whose  heart  no  guile  was 
found. 

"Brother  Tgirhitontie,  you  have  informed  us  that 
you  and  some  of  your  Brethren  have  been  beyond  the 
Great  Water,  and  have  now  returned  bearing  fraternal 
greeting  from  Tgarihontie,  our  brother,  and  Johanan, 
his  fiither.  We  are  glad  that  you  have  come  back. 
We  thank  you  for  the  greetings.  Salute  your  brothers 
in  turn,  on  the  part  of  the  united  Six  Nations. 

"Brother  Tgirhitontie,  you  have  also  assured  us  that 
the  league  between  you  and  the  Aquanoschioni  still 
stands,  and  that  you  will  uphold  it.  We  too  will 
uphold  it." 

Here  the  speaker  clasped  his  hands  together,  lifted 
them  up,  and  showed  how  firm  the  covenant  w^as, 
saying  that  these  were  the  sentiments  of  all  the  chiefs 

13 


1. 


/V 


y 


194 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


6   ' 

I't.  is.  I 


i  I 

I 


II 


"If 


of  the  Aqnanoschioni, — a  declaration   corroborated  by 
the  Council  with  an  emphatic  Jiiheh! 

Having    taken   the   fourth   string,   the  speaker  first 

(remarked  that,   two  years    ago,   Gallichwio    had  pro- 

f  posed  to  the  Council  that  two  of  his  brothers  should 
live  among  the  Iroquois  and  learn  their  language,  so 
that  they  might  tell  one  another  their  thoughts.     Then 

;  he  continued : 

"And  inasmuch  as  you.  Brother  Tgirhitontie,  and 
your  Brethren  have  again  brought  this  proposition  to  our 
notice,  we  tell  you  that  it  is  wise  and  good.     "We  are 

'Well  pleased  that  you  have  sent  Brother  Ganoussera- 

!  cheri  and  this  white  brother,  whose  name  we  cannot 

! 

'  name,  in  order  to  learn  our  language.     We  believe  that 

this  is  a  good  work.  It  shall  be  as  you  desire.  All  the 
chiefs  of  the  Aqnanoschioni  are  so  minded.  These  two 
brothers  shall  live  some  years  among  us,  and  learn  our 
,  tongue,  that  we  may  tell  one  another  the  thoughts  of  oar 
\  hearts.  They  may  begin  here  at  Onondaga  ;  they  may 
then  go  to  the  Cayugas,  and  next  to  the  Senecas." 

After  each  answer,  the  speaker  delivered  the  string 
of  wampum  to  Zeisberger.     When  the  latter  had  re- 
ceived the  fourth  string,  he  repeated  the  acclamation,  in 
,  which  his  associates,  and  then  the  whole  Council,  joined, 
,  sachems  and  missionaries  reiterating  it  three  times  with 
}  loud  voices, — Juheh!  Juheh!  Juheh! 

Two  large  kettles  of  boiled  maize  were  now  brought 
in,  and  the  assembly  partook  of  a  hearty  meal. 

Taking  into  consideration  the  inordinate  pride  of  the 
chiefs  of  the  Six  Nations,  and  the  suspicion  with  which 


DAVID  ZEISBEROEH. 


105 


the  aborlgiiios  regarded  every  attempt  of  white  men  to 
gain  a  foothold   in   their  country,  the   results  of  this 
Council  were  "emarkable,  and  proved  the  high  esteem 
in  which  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  was  held  at  Onon-  } 
daga,  and  the  personal  influence  which  Zeisberger  had 
acquired  among  the  same    tribes  whose  favor  the  Co- ;' 
lonial  government  purchased  with  much  difficulty  andj 
by  constant  presents  of  great  value. 

Toward  evening  of  the  twenty-fifth  of  August,  Mack  i 
left  for  Bethlehem.  Zeisberger  and  Rundt  accompanied 
him  as  far  as  the  country  of  the  Tuscaroras.  The}"  devoted 
the  last  night  which  they  spent  togr^ther  to  religious  ex- 
ercises, and  partook  of  the  Lord's  Supper  by  the  light 
of  a  camp-fire  in  the  depths  of  the  forest.  Early  the 
next  day  they  reached  Anajot.  About  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  beyond  it  lay  a  wooded  hill.  To  the  top  of 
this  they  proceeded,  and,  standing  together  beneath  a 
spreading  tree,  sang  with  deep  emotion  several  parting 
hymns,  the  morning  wind  murmuring  its  soft  accom- 
paniment among  the  leaves.  Then  they  separated.  Zeis- 
berger and  Rundt  returned  to  Onondaga  ;  Mack,  alone; 
with  his  God,  followed  the  trail  through  the  wilderness,  i 

*A8  the  two  friends,  who  were  to  remain  among  the: 
Indians,  pursued  their  way  back  to  Onondaga,  their ( 
hearts  were  sad ;  but  their  trust  in  God  did  not  waver,  [ 
and  they  mutually  pledged  themselves  to  stand  fast  by  / 


each  other  whatever  might  happen. 


; 


Domesticated  as  they  now  were  among  the  Iroquois,; 


1  Zeisberger's  Journal.     MS.  Bethlehem  Archives. 


196 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OP 


viw 


ki- 


f) 


if 


i  •- 


r\ 


^^ 


in  tlic  lodge  of  Ganatgchiagaje,  which  had  been  formally 
.assigned  to  thcra  by  the  Council  as  a  permanent  dn'ell- 
iing,  they  had  many  opportunities  of  observing  their 
manners  and  customs,  Indian  life,  with  all  its  strange 
jways,  its  simplicity  and  formalities,  lay  open  before 
j  them. 

Early  one  morning  they  were  awakened  by  female 
voices,  in  a  ledge  near  by,  uttering  the  most  clamorous 
lamentations.  An  Indian  had  died  in  the  course  of  the 
night;  and  these  women  were  the  friends  of  the  family, 
who  gathered  in  his  hut,  at  sunrise  and  sunset,  to 
bewail  his  loss,  until  he  was  buried. 

The  interment  took  place  near  the  town.  Aged 
squaws  dug  the  grave,  the  head  of  which  was  toward 
the  east,  and  lined  it  with  loose  boards.  The  body, 
robed  in  new  garments,  of  which  the  shirt  was  daubed 
with  vermilion,  the  head  and  face  being  painted  of  the 
same  color,  was  conveyed  from  the  house  of  mourning 
in  a  blanket,  and  interred  amid  the  dismal  howls  of 
the  women.  With  the  remains  were  buried  the  tomar 
hawk  of  the  dead  man,  a  kettle,  and  his  pouch,  con- 
taining a  knife,  flint  and  steel,  a  pipe  and  tobacco. 
A  blanket  and  a  board  were  put  over  him ;  the  grave 
was  tilled  up,  and  a  post  erected  to  mark  its  site. 

This,  however,  was  neither  the  primitive  mode  of 
burial,  nor  that  which  came  into  vogue  in  Zeisberger's 
time.  Graves  were,  originally,  cased  with  bark  and 
not  filled  up,  but  covered  on  the  top  with  branches 
and  bark,  over  which  was  raised  a  large  mound  of 
earth.     The  introduction  of  tools  among  the  Iroquois 


IN 


lii: 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


197 


and  Delawares  enabled  them  to  substitute  boards  in 
place  of  bark,  and  gradually  led  them  to  make  coffins 
similar  to  those  of  the  whites.  By-and-by,  too,  the 
custom  was  relinquished  of  burying  weapons  and  other 
articles  with  the  corpse. 

For  some  weeks  after  a  funeral,  the  widow,  mother, 
and  grandmother  of  the  deceased  wept  at  his  grave 
every  morning  and  evening,  occasionally  leaving  him 
food,  which  was  devoured  by  the  dogs.  After  a  time 
their  visits  became  less  frequent,  and,  at  last,  ceased 
altogether.  But  the  widow  remained  in  mourning  for 
a  year,  laying  aside  her  ornaments,  wearing  old  clothes, 
and  rarely  washing.  She  was  obliged  to  support  her- 
self, and  had  to  forego  eating  meat,  unless  some  one 
took  pity  on  her  and  gave  her  an  occasional  supply 
in  secret.  This  was  owing  to  the  absurd  superstition 
entertained  by  the  Indians,  that  their  rifles  would  miss 
aim  if  a  widow  partook  of  the  game  which  they  had  shot. 
At  the  exp'i'ation  of  the  year,  she  received  a  new  outfit 
of  clothing,  from  her  children  and  the  friends  of  her 
late  husband,  and  was  at  liberty  to  marry  again.  In 
case  she  wedded  sooner,  nothing  was  given  her  except- 
ing evil  words. 

The  movable  property  of  one  deceased  was  heaped 
up  by  the  side  of  his  grave,  on  the  day  of  interment. 
Those  who  had  assisted  at  the  burial  were,  first  of  all, 
liberally  rewarded;  what  remained  was  given  to  his 
friends  of  both  sexes.  After  the  funeral  at  Onondaga, 
several  women  made  use  of  the  lodge  of  the  missionaries 
in  order  to  divide  by  lot  the  articles  which  had  fallen 


198 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


to  their  share.  The  uatives  kuow  nothing  of  inherit- 
auces.  Mementoes  of  t-  ^  dead  would  revive  the 
sorrow  of  the  Hving.  Widows,  however,  retained  r.uch 
effects  as  had  been  presented  to  them  by  their  husbands. 
Hence  the  frequent  practice  of  keeping  distinct  the 
proj  2rt.y  of  man  and  wife. 

Every  opportunity  was  afforded  Zeisberger  to  gain 
an  insight  into  the  operations  of  the  system  of  coun- 
cils which  distinguished  the  Iroquois.  The  Council  of 
Onondaga  usually  m(:t  in  his  house,  and  the  sachems 
took  pleasure  in  teaching  him  the  import  of  the 
many  belts  and  strings  of  wampum  that  were  re- 
ceived, as  rlso  the  mode  of  sending  and  answering 
messages.  What  he  here  learned  was  of  real  use 
to  him  in  after-years.  He  became  as  familiar  with  all 
such  details,  and  as  ready  to  interpret  obscure  messages, 
as  any  native. 

Nor  did  he  fail  to  see  the  manner  in  which  the 
(iroquois  prepared  for  war.  The  night  previous  to  the 
I  departure  of  a  war-party  was  spent  in  feasting  and 
dancing.  Fork  formed  the  principal  dish;  sometimes, 
however,  a  dog  was  oaten,  the  flesh  of  which  was  sup- 
posed to  generate  courage.  The  chiefs  and  the  wives  of 
the  men  were  guests.  After  gorging  themselves — and 
the  women,  too,  swallowed  dog's  meat  with  great  relish 
— the  dance  began,  in  M'hich  the  captain  led  off.  He 
either  moved  alone,  around  another  warrior,  with  the 
head  of  the  hog  in  his  hands ;  or,  more  commonly,  was 
followed  by  the  whole  company.  Dancing  and  war- 
songs  A'ere  kept  up  until  daybreak.    Thea  the  braves, 


(    .■■' 


/  •■  *" ,  ■ .  Y/ '' '.  "-^  /  ' 


h 


DAVID  ZEISBERGEB. 


199 


hoarse  and  exhausted  though  they  were,  formed  in  Hue 
and  marched  through  the  town.  At  the  last  hut,  first 
the  captain  and  next  each  of  his  men  discharged  their 
pieces ;  aud,  as  they  took  their  way  into  the  forest,  the 
war-song  was  again  raised.  Their  first  camp  was, 
generally,  but  a  short  distance  from  the  village.  In 
the  evening,  their  friends  and  wives  joined  them,  and  a 
second  night  was  passed  in  dancing. 

Upon  the  return  of  war-parties,  tlie  Iroquois  of 
a  former  age  were  often  guilty  of  the  most  horrible 
cannibalism,  feasting  on  the  bodies  of  the  prisoners 
whom  they  had  tortured  to  death,  and  distributing 
pieces  of  their  roasted  hearts  among  the  boys  of  a 
village  to  give  them  courage.  The  Hurons  and  other 
nationj  of  that  stock  did  the  same ;  and  single  in- 
stances occurred  in  Algonquin  tribes.  This  revolting 
practice,  of  which  the  Jesuit  Fathers  have  recorded 
such  painful  details,  had  not  been  entirely  relinquished 
even  in  Zcisberger's  times,  although  it  seldom  occurred.. 

Among  the  many  traders  who  visited  Onondaga, 
while  he  lived  there,  was  an  agent  of  Sir  William 
Johnson.  His  coming  assumed  all  the  importance  of 
an  embassy.  It  was  announced  by  a  runner  and  a 
str  of  wampum.  Having  brought  his  boat,  laden 
with  goods,  into  the  lake,  he  pitched  a  tent  near  the 
shore,  and  met  the  headmen  in  council.  Zeisberger 
and  Rundt  were  present  by  "  oecial  invitation.  After 
the  usual  preliminary  silence,  one  of  the  sachems,  in 
the  name  of  his  peers  and  people,  delivered  half  a 
bushel    of    ginseng    roots,    as    a   gift.      The    trader 


) 


X, 


.„/,.., 


■^ 


•V 


u- 


'i 


200 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OP 


responded  by  reading  a  speech  from  Johnson,  which 
/an  interpreter,  whom  he  had   brought   along,   found 
/  great  difficulty  in  rendering  into  the  Onondaga  dialect ; 
j  and  by  a  presentation  of  t^yo  barrels  of  rum.     Mean- 
while the  Indians  without  sat  in  groups  on  the  ground, 
patiently  waiting  for  this  Council  to  close.     No  sooner 
divi  it  break  up  than  they  pushed  their  way  into  the 
tent  from  all  sides,  each  one  eager  to  effect  a  good  and 
speedy  exchange  for  his  roots.     The  noise  and  con- 
i  fusion   increased   every  moment,  and  at  last  grew  so 
uproarious  that  the  missionaries  were  glad  to  escape. 

These  are  some  of  the  views  which  Zeisberger  had  of 
life  among  the  Iroquois.    At  the  same  time  their  moral 
j  degradation,  especially  in  respect  to  drunkenness,  be-^ 
i  came  painfully  apparent.    This  vice  prevailed  at  Onon- 
Idaga,  at  Zonesschio,  and  throughout  the  Six  Nations. 
Indeed,  the  missionaries  could  not  have  remained  in  the 
country  if  they  had  not  been  careful  to  avoid  ihc  In- 
dians whenever  they  were  intoxicated,  by  retiring  into 
j  the  forest,  where  they  put  up  a  bark-hut  and  lived  in 


J-' 


seclusion  until  the  revels  were  over. 


Zeisberger  devoted  himself  with  great  diligence  to  the 

study  of  the  Onondaga  dialect  and  the  completion  of 

(hi^^rog^uois  Dictionary,  assisted  by  Hatachsocu^^ine^of 

iC^'tle  sachems.     He  became  very  intimate  with  Otschi- 

\  i  nachiatha  too,  the  principal  sachem  of  the  town.    Rundt 

'    yp^    \  appears  not  to  have  engaged  in  such  studies.     In  the 

y  opinion  of  Otschinachiatha  he  was  too  old  to  learn  the 

language  of  the  Aquanoschioni.     He  gained  their  good 

,  will,  however,  for  he  was  adopted  into  the  nation  of  the 


laauBfifi^B- 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


201 


Onondagas  and  the  family  of  the  Turtle,  receiving  the 
name  of  Thaneraquechta. 

In  the  beginning  of  November,  after  Zeisberger's  re- 
turn from  Oswego,  whither  he  had  gone  to  make  some 
necessary  purchases,  the  two  missionaries  set  out  for  the 
country  of  the  Cayugas,  with  the  intention  of  passing  the 
winter  among  this  people.  At  Ganatarage,  the  first  of 
their  villages  which  they  reached,  they  were  told  that  a 
party  of  tradere  had  arrived  in  the  country  vvith  rum ; 
and  when  they  came  to  Tgaaju  they  found  one  of  them 
established  there. 

The  natives  gave  them  a  cordial  reception,  saying  that 
they  knew  of  the  compact  subsisting  between  the  Grand 
Council  and  the  Brethren  at  Bethlehem;  but  the  trader, 
a  surly,  ill-faced  Dutchman,  whose  name  remains  in 
well-merited  oblivion,  had  no  words  of  welcome  for 
them.  As  they  were  about  lying  down  to  sleep,  he 
entered  the  lodge  where  they  were  guests,  and  seated 
himself  by  the  fire  in  moody  silence.  "What  are  you 
doing  in  the  Iroquois  country?"  he  said,  at  last.  "  We 
nrc  here,"  replied  Zeisbergcr,  "to  learn  their  language 
by  permission  of  the  Grand  Council  and  the  Colonial 
government."  "Produce  your  passports !"  he  contin- 
ued. With  this  insolent  demand  Zeisberger  refused  to 
comply,  although  they  had  three  passports,*  telling  him 
that  he  had  no  authority  to  call  them  to  an  account.    A 


1  Those  passports  are  in  the  Bethlehem  Archives:  the  first  is  froDi 
Sqviirc  Timothy  Horscfleld,  of  Bethlehem ;  the  second  from  Daniel 
Schuyler,  Alderman  of  New  Brunswick,  N.  J.;  the  third  from  Edward 
Holland,  Esq.,  Mayor  of  New  York  City. 


202 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


y-.    \ 


volley  of  taunts  and  oaths  was  the  trader's  ansv^er,  in  the 
/midst  of  which  bo  suddenly  sprang  to  his  feet,  seized  an 
I  Indian  war-club,  and  struck  Zeisberger  headlong  to  the 
ground;  then  snatching  a  brand  Trom  the  fire,  he  beat  it 
about  his  head,  and  kicked  and  stamped  upon  him  with 
his  heavy  boots.  Ihe  attack  was  so  unexpected  that 
Zeisberger  lay  helpless  in  a  moment.  What  Eundt,  the 
poet,  did  to  save  his  friend  is  not  recorded ;  but  a  squaw 
ran  for  the  chiefs,  who  rescued  him,  intoxicated  though 
they  were.  The  Dutchman,  however,  remained  defiant, 
drew  a  knife,  and  would  have  stabbed  Zeisberger  had 
not  the  Indians  seized  and  dragged  him  away.  It  is  evi- 
dent that  he  either  believed  the  missionaries  to  be  traf- 
fickers in  disguise  come  to  interfere  with  his  business,  or 
recognized  their  true  character,  and  feared  their  influ- 
ence among  the  natives. 

Zeisberger  had  been  severely  wounded.  He  spent 
the  night  in  great  pain.  The  revelries  of  the  Indians, 
whom  strong  drink  was  making  wilder  every  hour, 
rendered  his  situation  still  more  distressing.  Toward 
morning,  as  soon  as  he  had  regained  sufficient  strength 
to  attempt  the  journey,  he  left  the  town  with  Kundt,  in 
spite  of  the  assurances  of  their  entertainer  that  they 
should  be  protected.  The  trader  had  come  to  spend 
the  winter  among  the  Cayugas.  Under  such  cir- 
cumstances, the  missionaries  could  not  remain  there. 

When  Otschinachiatha  was  informed  of  what  had 
taken  place,  his  indignation  knew  no  bounds  that  the 
sacred  laws  of  Iroquois  hospitality  had  been  thus 
abused,  and  an  adopted  brother  of  the  Aquanoschioni 


mmmimmmmi 


1     - 


»  ■  ,v 


DAVID  ZEISBERQER. 


203 


treated  so  outrageously.  The  investigation  which 
he  instituted  among  the  Cuyugas  had  the  desired 
effect.  Thereafter  no  trader  ever  interfered  with 
Zeisberger. 

But  he  could  not  remain  at  Onondaga.  One  of  the 
female  dealers  in  rum  brought  twenty  kegs  of  it  to  her 
shop,  soon  after  his  return.  The  men  of  the  town  were 
nearly  all  absent,  hunting  or  on  the  war-path.  Excesses 
and  debaucheries  of  the  worst  kind  were  imminent; 
inebriated  squaws  were,  in  some  respects,  more  to  be 
feared  than  drunken  warriors;  and  the  season  would 
prevent  the  missionaries  from  retiring  into  the  forest. 
Accordingly  they  were  constrained  to  go  back  to  Beth- 
lehem. 

In  the  dusk  of  the  evening  before  their  departure, 
they  went  to  the  top  of  a  hill   near  the   town,  and,  i 
kneeling  down,  prayed  most  earnestly  for  the  people  / 
of  Onondaga,  for  the  Six  Nations,  and  for  themselves ;  \ 
beseeching  God  to  pardon  whatever  faults  they  might 
have  committed  while  among  the  Iroquois,  and  to  lead  \ 
them  safely  to  their  distant  home.     Early  in  the  morn- 
ing of   the    I,  venty-tifth  of  November  they   set    out,  . 
and,  by  the   same   route  which  they  had  followed  iu  ; 
summer,  reached  Bethlehem  after  a  journey  of  three  . 
weeks. 


w 


204 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER   XL 

ZEISBERGER  A  RESIDENT  OF  ONONDAGA.— 1753-1755. 

Zeisberger  in  New  York  and  New  England. — Second  visit  of  Nanti- 
cokes  and  Shawanese  to  Bethlehem.  —  Proposed  removal  of  the 
converts  from  Gnadenhiittcn  to  Wyoming. — Lpangenberg  goes  to 
Europe.  —  French  aggressions.  —  Zeisberger  and  Frey  go  to  Onon- 
daga.— Perilous  journey. — Rumors  of  a  now  war  with  France. — 
Famine. — In  attempting  to  fetch  provisions  from  Tioga,  the  two 
missionaries  nearly  perish. — Death  of  their  hostess  at  Onondaga. — 
Sickness  among  the  Indians. — Simples. — Indian  doctors. — Treaty  at 
Onondaga  with  Sir  William  Johnson. — Zeisberger  and  Frey  return 
to  Bethlehem. — Zeisberger's  views  upon  the  Iroquois  Mission. — 
Division  at  Gnadenhatten  and  exodus  of  a  part  of  the  converts. — 
Abraham  and  Tadcuskund. — Site  of  Gnadenhiittcn  changed. — George 
Washington  and  the  French.— Zeisberger  returns  to  Onondaga, 
builds  a  house,  and  begins  to  labor  as  a  missionary. — Made  the 
Keeper  of  the  Archives  of  the  Grand  Council. — Indian  cos- 
mogony. 

/  Zeisberger  devoted  the  winter  partly  to  his  studies 
('  and  partly  to  itinerancies  in  New  York  and  New  Eng- 
/  land,  where  the  Indian  Mission  was  progressing,  and 
opportunities  were  beginning  to  multiply  for  preaching 
the  Gospel  to  the  settlers,  whose  sentiments  with  regard 
|to  the  Church  had  undergone  a  great  change. 

In  March,  a  second  deputation  of  Nanticokes  and 
Shawanese  came  to  Bethlehem,  agreeably  to  their 
promise,  and  met  the  Board.  Two  of  the  points  which 
they  brought  forward  were  unexpected.     The  Grand 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER 


205 


Council  at  Onondaga  had  determined  to  remove  the 
Nanticokes  from  Wyoming  to  the  country  of  the  Tusca- 
roras,  and  to  invite  the  Christian  Indians  of  Gnaden- 
hiitten  to  emigrate  to  Wyoming.  It  was  evident  that 
both  these  measures  would  interfere  with  the  work  of 
the  Gospel.  The  first  was  beyond  the  control  of  the 
Board ;  the  other,  however,  concerned  it  very  nearly. 
Some  of  its  members  iuspected  a  plot  to  break  up  the 
Mission.  Nevertheless,  the  invitation  would  have  to  be 
submitted  to  the  converts. 

Soon  after  this  visit,  Bishop  Spangenberg  left  for 
Europe  (April  20th),  encouraged  by  the  actual  growth, 
and  the  bright  prospect  of  the  Mission.  And  yet,  at 
that  very  time,  complications  were  arising  which  would 
mar  its  prosperity.  The  Governor  of  Canada  sent  a 
body  of  armed  men  to  the  valley  of  the  Ohio  in  order 
to  substantiate  the  claim  of  the  French  crown,  and  take 
formal  possession  of  that  rich  country.  As  soon  as  this 
became  known  at  Onondaga,  fleet  runners  hurried  along 
the  great  trail  of  the  nations  to  the  seat  of  William 
Johnson,  and  warned  him  of  the  coming  crisis.*  At 
first,  the  Colonies  displayed  a  singular  want  of  energy 
and  even  of  interest,  although  war  was  approaching 
with  rapid  strides  and  bloody  footsteps. 

The  news  of  these  events  had  not  yet  reached  Beth- 
lehem. Eager  to  resume  his  place  at  Onondaga,  Zeis- 
berger,  four  days  after  Johnson  had  received  the  belt 


»  Bancroft's  U.  S.,  107,  etc. 


206 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


of  warning,  accompanied  by  Henry  Frey,'  set  out  for  his 
Indian  home  (April  23d).  At  Shamokin,  he  heard  of 
what  was  transpiring  in  the  "West;  but  determined  to 
proceed,  relying  upon  Divine  protection.  Frey  was  of 
the  same  mind.' 

They  came  to  Wyoming  in  a  canoe,  and  found  the 
Nanticokes  preparing  to  emigrate. 

This  tribe  had  a  singular  custom  in  connection  with 
I  the  burial  of  their  dead.     Three  or  four  months  after 
\  an  interment,  the  corpse  was  exhumed,  its  arms  and 
legs  lopped  off,  and  the  flesh  cut  from  the  bones,  which 
were  dried,  wrapped  in  clean  cloths,  and  then  recom- 
mitted to  the  earth.     The  trunk  was  burned.     When- 
■  ever  the  tribe  removed  to  new  hunting-grounds  these 
'  bones  were  taken  with  them. 

The  missionaries,  declining  the  invitation  of  the 
Nanticokes  to  join  them,  pushed  on  alone  through 
^the  same  country  which  Zeisberger  had  visited  with 
)  Cammerhoff.  It  was  almost  depopulated.  The  natives 
were  moving  westward.  Among  the  few  that  re- 
mained, however,  they  met  with  a  hospitable  welcome, 
as  soon  as  it  became  known  that  they  were  from 
Bethlehem.  The  visits  of  the  Nanticokes  and  the 
Shawanese  had  rendered  that  settlement  famous.    One 


1  Born  May  12,  1724,  at  Falkncr  Schwamm,  Pa.  In  1742  Count  Zin- 
zendorf  visited  his  parents,  and,  on  taking  leave,  said  :  "  Tliis  your  son 
Henry  you  must  give  to  me,  for  he  is  destined  to  devote  his  life  to  the 
service  of  the  Saviour."  In  1744  Frey  came  to  Bethlehem  and  joined 
the  Moravian  Church,  which  ho  served  in  various  capacities.  He  died 
at  Litiz,  Septemher  26,  1784. 

a  Letter  to  the  Board,  in  Bethlehem  Diary,  1753.   MS.  B.  A. 


DAVID  ZEISBFHOER. 


207 


day,  indeed,  an  exception  to  such  kindness  occurred. 
The  missionaries  were  pursued  by  a  canoe,  filled  with 
Delawares  and  one  Oneida,  and  compelled  to  run  to 
land.  "Now  give  us  your  fire-water !"  cried  the  Indians. 
"We  have  none,"  said  Zeisberger.  But  they  would 
not  believe  him,  and  were  preparing  to  use  force,  when, 
fixing  his  eyes  upon  the  Oneida,  with  whose  family  he 
was  well  acquainted,  he  remarked  :  "Brother,  you  seem 
not  to  recognize  me.  I  am  Ganousseracheri.  Have 
you  never  heard  of  Ganousseracheri,  the  brother  of  the 
sachems  of  the  Aquanoschioni,  who  is  well  known  at 
Onondaga,  and  in  all  the  Indian  country?"  This  had 
the  desired  effect.  The  savages  let  them  go,  with  many 
apologies. 

Instead  of  entering  the  Chemung,  at  Tioga,  they 
proceeded  up  the  Susquehanna  to  Owego,  a  forsaken 
village  in  Tioga  County,  New  York,  intending  to  as- 
cend the  river  as  far  as  Zeniinge,  a  town  of  the 
Tnscaroras,  and  thence  to  travel  to  Onondaga  on  foot. 
But,  after  having  paddled  a  whole  day,  they  were 
obliged  to  turn  back,  finding  it  impossible  to  proceed 
without  a  guide.  Sinking  their  canoe  in  a  creek  near 
Owego,  they  now  struck  out  for  that  trail  on  which 
Bishop  Spangenberg's  party  had  traveled  in  1745. 
It  had  grown  so  indistinct  that  they  could  not  dis- 
cover it,  and  groped  for  three  days  in  the  swamps, 
without  provisions  and  in  great  distress.  At  last  they 
succeeded,  by  the  aid  of  a  pocket-compass,  in  retracing 
their  steps  to  Owego,  where  they  took  to  their  canoe 
once  more,  and  ascended  the  Susquehanna  until  they 


208 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


came  up  with  the  Nanticokes  in  a  little  fleet  of  twenty- 
five  canoes,  who  supplied  all  their  wants  and  brought 
them  to  Zeniinge.  Guided  by  a  Tuscarora,  they  then 
advanced,  on  branches  of  the  Susquehanna  and  affluent 
creeks,  to  within  fifty  miles  of  Onondaga.  The  rest  of 
the  distance  they  traveled  afoot,  and  reached  the  town 
on  the  eighth  of  June.  As  they  crossed  the  cornfields, 
the  women,  who  were  hoeing,  called  out,  "Welcome, 
Ganousseracheri !  welcome,  brothers !" 

It  was  a  time  of  great  excitement  at  Onondaga.  The 
sachems  looked  grave ;  the  warriors  were  eager  for  the 
conflict.  Otschinachiatha  showed  Zeisberger  a  belt 
which  the  Governor  of  Canada  had  sent,  with  a  message 
to  the  effect  that  he  was  approaching;  that  the  Aqua- 
nosehioni  should  open  a  way  for  him  through  their 
country  to  the  Ohio;  that  he  had  a  hatchet  in  his  hand, 
and  whoever  attempted  to  stop  him  would  be  cut  down. 
In  consequence  of  this  message,  the  Council  had  dis- 
patched a  body  of  seven  hundred  braves  to  watch  the 
French,  and  protect  the  Indians  of  the  Ohio. 

Notwithstanding  these  threatening  troubles,  Zeis- 
jberger  resumed  his  studies  and  usual  intercourse  with 
j the  natives.  Frey,  too,  was  soon  domesticated.  He  was 
adopted  into  the  Oneida  nation,  and  called  Ochschugore. 
In  the  course  of  the  summer  a  dire  famine  broke  out, 
compelling  the  two  missionaries  to  go  to  Tioga  for  food. 
Of  the  many  journeys  which  Zeisberger  undertook,  this 
was  perhaps  the  moat  disastrous.  He  and  his  com- 
panion both  fell  ill  on  the  way,  and  lay  in  the  forest 
without  shelter,  without  medicine  or  provisions  or  aid 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


209 


of  any  kind,  and  almost  perished.  At  last,  by  super- 
human exertions,  they  dragged  themselves  to  the  door 
of  Kash's  cabin,  in  the  Oneida  country.  Kash  took 
thera  in ;  but,  with  all  the  force  and  plainness  of  speech 
of  which  the  German  language  is  capable,  berated  Zeis- 
berger  for  wasting  his  life  in  so  miserable  a  manner 
among  thankless  savages.  He  saw  no  glory  in  the^ 
very  sufferings  of  his  guest.  His  mind  was  "of  the; 
earth  earthy ;"  it  could  not  grasp  the  ideal  which  made 
Zeisberger  strong  when  he  was  weak,  and  joyful  when 
he  was  tried.  In  every  age  that  philanthropy  which  is 
begotten  of  love  to  God  and  Jesus  Christ,  Hi'i  Son,  has 
been  reviled  as  the  offspring  of  fanatical  enthusiasm. 

Having  recovered  their  health,  the  missionaries  re- 
turned to  Onondaga  in  a  canoe  laden  with  supplies. 

Not  long  after  this  their  hostess,  the  wife  of  Ganat- 
schiagaje,  died,  in  spite  of  all  the  efforts  of  her  Indian 
doctors  to  save  her  life. 

However  hardy  the  constitution  of  the  natives  natu- 
rally was,  they  were  subject  to  much  sickness,  on  ac- 
count of  their  manner  of  life,  which  exposed  them  to 
all  the  extremes  of  the  weather,  and  often  forced  them 
to  fast  for  days  or  subsist  on  insufficient  food.  Rheu- 
matism, fevers,  boils,  and  dysentery  were  very  common 
among  them.  Small-pox  and  other  similar  diseases 
came  from  their  white  neighbors. 

They  had  a  thorough  knowledge  of  simples,  among 
which  white  walnut-bark  and  the  root  of  the  sarsaparilla 
were  in  general  use,  and  could  cure  the  bites  of  snakes 
with  great  readiness.    For  the  poison  of  each  species 

14 


^1     '"I 


I 


/,- 


3^- 


-'/' 


210 


LIFE  ASD    TIMES  OF 


they  employed  a  diftercnt  uiitidnte.  They  were  expert 
''too  in  healing  fractures;  and  hied  their  patients  with 
a  flint  or  a  hit  of  glass,  in  place  of  a  lancet.  The  sick 
were  laid  on  a  hed  of  grass  or  hay  near  the  fire,  and 
fed  with  a  thin  soup  of  n:  ize.  A  kettleful  of  u  decoc- 
tion of  roots  or  herhs  constituted  an  ordinary  dose. 
But  such  simples  were  rarely  administered  without  the 
intervention  of  a  friend  or  neighbor.  Superstition  pre- 
vented a  patient  prescribing  for  liimself.  Indeed,  in 
almost  every  case  the  doctors  were  called  in,  whom  the 
Indians  feared  to  offend,  because  they  were  looked  upon 
as  conjurors. 

In  reality,  however,  they  were  not  only  gross  de- 
ceivers, but  also  the  most  avaricious  usurers.  Their 
fees  were  enormous.  Goods  or  peltries,  to  the  value 
of  twenty  or  thirty  pounds  sterling,  must  be  paid  them 
as  soon  as  they  entered  a  lodge.  Until  this  had  been 
done,  they  refused  to  begin  their  incantations;  and  yet 
incantations  formed  the  chief  object  of  a  visit.  They 
seldom  administered  medicine.  The  patient  was  laid  at 
their  feet.  Bending  over  him,  they  breathed  into  his 
face,  or  ejected  a  decoction  of  herbs  from  their  mouths 
upon  the  affected  part  of  his  body.  By-and-by  they 
worked  themselves  into  a  fury,  made  the  most  frightful 
grimaces  at  him,  screamed  and  howled  over  him  with 
maniacal  contortions,  or  threatened  and  commanded  him 
with  the  authority  of  a  master.  If  all  this  did  not  avail, 
they  had  him  carried  to  a  sweating-oven  and  placed  in 
front  of  the  door,  while  they  crept  in  and  perspired  for 
him,  frequently  looking  out  at  him,  however,  with  faces 


t 


DAVID  ZELSDEROER. 


211 


distorted  more  Lideouflly  than  at  first.  As  a  last  expo- 
dieut,  ho  was  told  that  he  was  bewitched,  and  must  sacri- 
fice to  the  angry  manitou  who  had  caused  the  affliction. 

In  case  one  doctor  was  not  successful  in  effecting  a 
cure,  others  were  sent  for,  and  a  patient  often  squan- 
dered his  entire  property  in  satisfying  tlieir  demands. 
Meanwhile  the  simples  which  ho  took  really  restored  him 
to  health.  A  poor  man  could  count  only  upon  a  part  of 
the  incantations;  and  one  wholly  without  means  must 
forego  them  altogether,  unless  his  friends  contributed 
the  required  fee.  Old  hunters,  who  had  retired  from  the 
fatigues  of  the  chase^  often  becanie  doctors  and  grew  rich. 

In  the  beginning  of  September  Sir  William  Johnson 
reached  Onondaga.  The  sachems  had  gathered,  with 
numerous  followers,  from  all  parts  of  the  Coutodcracy 
to  meet  him.  He  was  escorted  into  the  town  by  the 
entire  population,  young  and  old,  and  proceeded  to 
hold  a  treaty.  The  chain  of  friendship  between  Eng- 
land and  the  League  was  brightened,  and  the  proposal 
accepted  to  defer  the  great  Indian  Congress  at  Albany 
to  the  following  3'ear,  on  account  of  Governor  Clinton's 
illness  and  the  expected  arrival  of  a  new  governor.' 

The  missionaries  were  present  at  this  treaty,  and 
made  the  acquaintance  of  Johnson.  Although  he  mani-' 
fested  considerable  interest  in  the  progress  of  the  Gospel) 
among  the  Iroquois,  his  own  conduct  was  grossly  in-( 
consistent.  In  his  speeches  he  inveighed  witli  muchf' 
eloquence  against  the  vice  of  drunkenness;''  but  at  thej 


'  Report  of  Treaty,  Doc.  Hist,  of  N.  Y.,  ii.  632-041. 


« Ibid. 


w 


212 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


close  of  the  negotiations  distributed  such  quantities  of 
'rum  that  the  Indians  became  intoxicated,  and  Zeis- 
"  berger  and  Frey  had  to  flee  into  the  forest  for  their 
!  lives. 

7  Zeisberger  had  now  improved  so  rapidly  in  the 
(Iroquois  languages  that  he  was  perfect  master_of  the 
,./'"!  Moiiavvk,  and  spoke  several  other  dialects  with  fluency, 
f  vBy  the  advice  of  Otschinachiatha,  howei/er,  who  deemed 
I  speedy  hostilities  inevitable,  he  broke  oft"  his  studies, 
i  and  returned  to  Bethlehem  (November  12th).  Frey 
1  accompanied  him. 

About  the  same  time,  George  Washington,  a  young 
man  of  but  twenty-one  years,  set  out  from  Virginia  as 
the  special  envoy  of  Governor  Dinwiddle  "  to  the 
commander  of  the  French  forces  on  the  Ohio  River, 
to  know  his  reasons  for  invading  the  British  domin- 
ions while  a  solid  peace  subsisted."  It  was  a  journey 
as  full  of  hardships  and  perils  as  any  that  Zeisberger 
had  undertaken ;  and  led  to  results  which  hastened 
the  impending  war,  and  were  of  lasting  importance 
in  the  history  of  freedom,  opening  the  way  for  a 
great  republican  empire  to  be  founded  in  the  "Western 
World. 

Zeisherger's  first  duty  at  Bethlehem  was  to  give  an 
exposition  of  his  views  concerning  the  work  among  the 
Iroquois  to  Bishop  Peter  Boehler,  who  had  just  arrived 
from  Europe  as  Spangenberg's  temporary  successor. 
These  views  he  subsequently  wrote  out,  in  the  form 
of  Memoranda,  addressed  to  Count  Zinzendorf,  Bishop 
de  Watteville,  and  Bishop  Spangenberg,  and  sent  the 


c  J 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


213 


■v^' 


r'  ' 


document  to  Europe,  with  a  letter  to  the  latter  divine.^ 
From  both  these  papers  it  is  evident  that  he  realized? 
the  incongruity  of  the  principles  regulating  the  MissionJ 
amonsi:  the  Six  i^atious;   and  repudiated  the  caution 
which  had   been   observed,   urging   that  the   ultimate 
object  which  the  Church  had  in  view — the  conversion 
of  the  whole  League   to  the  living  God — should  be 
impressed  upon   the   Council,      To  this  end,  he  prG-"j 
posed    that    among    the     students    of    the    Iroquoisl 
languages,   who    should   thereafter   be   sent  to   Onon-\ 
daga,  one   should  always  be  accredited  as  a  miuistaij 
of  the  Gospel. 

He  explained,  likewise,  in  its  true  light,  the  invita- 
tion which  the  Guadeuhiitteu  Indians  had  received  to 
remove  to  "Wyoming.  The  Grand  Council  had  not 
given  this  invitation.  It  had  been  concocted  by  the 
Oneidas  and  the  Nanticokes,  but  involved  no  evil 
design.  According  to  Indian  law,  which  sets  personaf 
liberty  above  every  enactment  of  a  council  or  order  of 
a  chieftain,  the  converts  could  do  as  they  pleased.  An 
offer  had  been  made  them ;  nothing  more.  The  mere 
agitation  of  the  subject,  however,  led  to  deplorable 
consequences.  Some  of  the  converts  were  in  favor  of 
a  removal,  others  opposed  it.  Among  the  former, 
Abraham,  the  first  convert  of  the  Mission,  and  Gideon 
Tadeuskund,  made  themselves  conspicuous.  The  one 
had   recently  been   elected   captain   by   the   Mohicans 


»  Copy  of  the  document.     MS.  B.  A.     Original  letter  to  Spangen- 
berg,  dated  November  26,  1753. 


111'  ' 


u 


214 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


of  New  York;  the  other,  chief,  by  the  Susqueha'- aa 
Delawares.  These  honors  made  them  proud,  especially 
Tadeuskund,  who  had  never  been  distinguished  for  his 
consistency,  and  who  now  began  to  despise  his  position 
as  a  Christian.  They  succeeded  in  gaining  a  party  of 
seventy  converts,  who  left  Gnadenhlitteu  (April  24th, 
1754),  and  proceeded  to  Wyoming,  Afterward  fifteen 
of  them  took  up  their  abode  at  Neskapeke.  The 
Board  and  the  missionaries  were  overwhelmed  with 
sorrow  at  this  exodus ;  although  the  deserted  houses 
at  Guadenhiitten  were  soon  filled  by  the  converts  from 
Meniolagomekah,  who  had  been  forced  to  abandon 
their  village,  on  account  of  growing  persecutions. 

Not  long  after  this,  Gnadenhiitten  was  removed  to 

the  eastern  bank  of  the  Lehigh,  where  the  land  was 

better  suited  to  the  wants  of  the  natives,  the  soil  being 

sandy  and  easy  to  till,  whereas  that  on  the  Mahony 

f  was  stifl:'  and  clayey.     At  this  latter  place,  which  now 

/received  the  name  of  its  creek  (properly  Mahonhanne), 

tsignifying  a  "Deer  Lick,"  several  farmers  and  mechanics 

)established  themselves.     They  were  all  in  the  employ 

/of  the  Church,  and  in   connection  with  the  Mission, 

\  teaching  the  converts  the  arts  of  husbandry,  and  their 

young  people  various  trades.     The  new  town  occupied 

the   site  of  the    present  Weissport.      Its   chapel  was 

erected  in  1754. 

Bishop  Spangenberg,  having  meantime  returned  to 
Ameri'^a,  took  an  early  opportunity  to  confer  with 
Zcisberger  upon  the  Iroquois  Mission.  The  Mem- 
oranda   of   Zcisberger    had    been    accepted,    and    he 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


215 


I. 


received   instructions   to   inform    the   Grand  Council,; 
on  tlie   occasion  of  his  next  visit  to  Onondaga,  that  , 
the  Brethren  would  soon  begin  to  preach  to  them  the. 
Gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

This   visit   he   undertook   in  June   (1754),  although 
the   events    transpiring   in    the    country  were  porten- 
tous.     Washington    had    returned,   in    January,  from 
his    expedition   to   the   Ohio,  and    reported   that    the 
French  commander  had  boldly  avowed  his  purpose  of 
seizing  the  valley  through  which  that  "beautiful  river" 
runs,  and,  in  fact,  of  making  the  entire  West  tributary 
to  France.      This  roused  England  and  her  Colonies; 
and  yet  there    existed    so    many   conflicting  interests 
that  the  measures  adopted  were   neither   prompt  nor 
decisive.      England   expected  the   Colonies  to  defend 
themselves,  or,  at  least,  to   contribute  jointly  toward 
their  defense;    the   Colonies    acted    independently  of 
each  other,  and  produced  no  t>ower  adequate   to  the 
crisis.     The  most  important  step  was  taken  by  the  Ohio 
Company,  which  built  a  fort  at  the  confluence  of  the 
Alleghany  and  the  Monongahela,  on  the  site  of  Pitts- 
burg.    But,  in  April,  a  strong  body  of  the  French 
emerged  from  the  forest,  and  obliged  the  little  garrison 
of  thirty-three  men  to  surrender.     The  post  was  imme- 
diately strengthened  by  its  new  occupants,  and  received 
the  name  of  Fort  Duquesne.     Meanwhile  Washington 
had  raised  a  small  force  and  marched  to  the  Youghl- 
ogeny,  where   he   attacked  and  defeated  the  French, 
under  cover  of  the  night,  at  the  Great  Meadows.     The 
war  had,  therefore,  virtually  begun. 


w^ 


t>  i\ 


216 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


j"^  Three'  weeks  after  this,  Zeisberger  set  out  for  Onon- 
]daga,  with  Charles  Friedrich  for  a  companion.''  They 
reached  Albany  on  the  day  of  the  opening  of  the  great 
Congress  (June  19th,  1754),  composed  of  Commissioners 
from  every  Colony  north  of  the  Potomac,  who,  under 
the  presidency  or  Lieutenant-Governor  Delancy,  of  New 
York,  deliberated  upon  the  state  of  the  country,  and 
adopted  Franklin's  famous  plan  of  union.'  At  the 
same  time  a  new  treaty  was  made  with  the  Iroquois, 
of  whom  the  Pennsylvania  Commissioners  bought  a 
large  tract  of  land,  to  the  indignation  of  the  Delawares 
and  other  tribes.  In  the  war  that  followed,  this  sale, 
more  than  anything  else,  tended  to  embitter  the  French 
Indians  against  the  Colonies. 

Having  heard  from  Ganatschiagaje,  whom  they  met 
at  Albany,  that  the  trail  to  Onondaga  was  open,  the 
missionaries  pursued  their  way,  and  reached  the  capital 
in  safety.  Those  sachems  who  were  not  at  the  Congress 
assembled  to  receive  them ;  and  Zeisberger,  in  words  of 
great  earnestness,  brought  to  their  recollection  the  ulti- 
mate object  of  his  frequent  visits  to  their  town,  which 
was  to  preach  the  Gospel  and  convert  them  to  the 
living  God. 

With  this  purpose  in  view,  his  first  care  was  to  erect 
a  substantial  log-cabin  as  a  Mission  House.    The  natives 


I  Zeisberger 's  Journal.     MS.  B.  A. 

'  Charles  Friedrich  was  born  at  Husom,  in  Holstein,  October  4th, 
1715;  labored  as  missionary  among  the  Indian.s  and  negroes ;  and  died 
in  Surinam,  January  24th,  1701. 

»  Penn.  Col.  Records,  vi.  57-129. 


t 


DAVJD  ZEISBERGER. 


217 


rendered  him  every  assistance  in  their  power.     He  was 
not  less  welcome  among  them  because  he  had  officially 
introduced  the  subject  of  the  Christian  religion.     He 
had  won  their  respect  and  love.     They  confessed  that 
his  works  were  iu   harmony  with  his  words.      They 
believed  that  he  sought  their  real  good.     They  trusted 
him,  in  all  respects,  as   Oxxe    »f  their  nation,  correctA 
ing  their  children  when  these,  sometimes,  called  after! 
him    "Assaroni"    (white    man),    and    saying,    "No,  ( 
Ganousseracheri    is    an    Aquanoschioni,    and    noc    au^ 
Assaroni!"      The   most   distinguished   token  of   con-\ 
fidence,    however,    was    given    him    by    the     Grand 
Council,    which    deposited    its    entire    archives,    com- 
prising many  belts  and   strings  of  wampum,  written  \  . 
treaties,  letters   from    Colonial    governors,   and    other/ _^       «?^ 
similar   documents,   in   tho   Mission   House,  and    con-1    X^-^-^ ^ 
Btituted  him  the  keeper  of  these  important  records.^_J       '" 


T 


Zeisberarer,  on  his  part,  faithfully  strove  toDrpclaimN 
the _SaviouL.^.^-  the  .ajorld, jiot^^asjL^ J^^  j ' -^ 

ministrations,  but  by  visits  from  lodge  toloi^ge.  /     ^^r^- 

^ — ,-v_,-^„..-»,'. "...      ..•!_, ,.-^„-~> .j*--v-'--— ^^"^  I  <r_ 

This  gave  him  not  only  a. thorough  insight  into  the  /  *>,.       i 


superstitions  of  the  Indians,  but  made  him  acquainted 
also  with  their  cosmogony,  the   absurdities  of  which 
were,  however,  so  great  and  contradictory  that  he^^j^ 
corded  but  few  of  its  details. 

According  to  the  saying  of  some  old  Iroquois,  the 
.  latives  originally  lived  in  the  interior  of  the  earth.     A 


:] 


n 


1  Statements  made  at  a  missionary  festival,  at  Bethlehem,  as  recorded 
in  the  Bethlehem  Diary,  under  date  of  August  2,  1755. 


\m;M 


Qyv^/^-    (^'Vfri^ 


218 


.:.yE  AND   TIMES  OP 


/"badger  burrowed  his  way  to  the   surface,  and  was  so 

pleased  with  the  land  he  there  found  that  he  hastened 

/  back  to  report    his   discovery.     Thereupon   they  came 

/  forth  from  their  subterranean  abode  and  took  possession 

'  of  this  new  country. 

I       Others  asserted  that  there  existed  in  the  heavens  a 

j    world   of  men   and  animals.     From  that  a  pregnant 

'    woman  was  hurled  down  to  the  earth  by  her  enraged 

•   husband,  who  had  detected  her  faithlessness.     She  gave 

;    birth  to  twins,  through  whom  the  earth  was  peopled. 

!       The  legend  of  the  N"anticokes  was   equally  trivial. 

■  Several  Indians,  men  and  women,  tney  said,  had  sud- 

"■  denly  found  themselves  sitting  on  the  sea-shore.  Whence 

they  had  come,  whether  they  had  crossed  the  waters, 

or  been  created  in  America,  they  could  not  tell.     From 

these  the  whole  race  was  descended. 

Those  vague  notions  of  the  deluge  with  which  Zeis- 
'  berger  met  seem  to  have  been  a  mixture  of  Algonquin 
;  traditions  touching  their  great  manitou,  Manaboyho, 
1  and  of  Iroquois  sayings  with  regard  to  the  origin  of 
the  earth. 

The  earth,  ho  was  told,  having  been  submerged, 
several  human  beings,  among  them  two  or  three 
women,  saved  themselves  on  the  back  of  a  turtle,  who 
had  reached  so  great  an  age  that  his  shell  bore  moss. 
These  requested  a  loon,  who  happened  to  cross  their 
path,  to  look  for  land.  lie  complied,  diving  to  the 
depths  of  the  waters ;  but  found  none.  At  last  ho 
flew  far  away,  and  returned  with  a  small  quantity  of 
^arth  in  his  bill.     Guided  by  him,  the  turtle  swam  to 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER 


219 


the  place,  where  a  little  spot  of  dry  land  was  seen,  on^ 
which  the  survivors  settled  and  ropeopled  the  world.  (^ 


Hence  the  illustrious  position  of  the  Turtle  clan  among 

the  Indians. 

After  an  abode  of  ten  months  at  Onondaga,  Zeis- 
berger  und  Friedrich  paid  a  visit  to  Bethlehem  (June, 
1755).  The  former  intended  to  go  back  soon  and  begin 
to  preach  the  Gospel  in  public.  This  intention,  how 
ever,  could  not  be  carried  out.  His  work  among  th< 
Six  Nations  was  done.  A  time  of  tribulation  and  blood 
was  at  hand ;  and  when  the  wilderness  again  opened 
to  the  messengers  of  peace,  they  took  their  way  to  the 
Delawares  and  not  to  the  Iroquois. 


) 


1^ 


220 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


m 


I'lJ 

w 

I'd'     i 


\\ 


4 


I!'' 

It* 


CHAPTER   XII. 

THE  MONTHS  PRIOR  TO  THE  INDIAN  WAR,  AND  THE  MASSACRE 
AT  QNADENIliJTTEN.— 1755. 

Renewed  agitations  at  Gnadenhutten. — Zcisberger  itinerates  in  the 
valley  of  Wyoming. — Preaches  to  -  tribe  of  Monseys. — Braddock's 
defeat. — Distress  of  the  Colonies. — Fearlessness  of  the  Moravians. — 
Their  loyalty  questioned. — Zeisberger  visits  New  England. — Indian 
war  begins. — First  massacre  in  Pennsylvania. — Zeisbergcr  again  visits 
Wyoming. — At  Easton  among  the  Jerseymen. — The  twenty- fourth  of 
November. — Zeisbergcr  is  sent  to  Gnadenhutten,  and  barely  escapes 
the  massacre. — The  massacre. — Zeisbergcr  brings  the  news  to  Beth- 
lehem.— The  leader  of  the  war-party. — The  Indians  of  Gnadenhiitten 
retire  to  Bethlehem  and  claim  the  protection  of  the  government. — 
Fort  Allen  built. 

There  had  again  been  agitations  at  Gnadenhutten, 
during  Zeisberger's  absence.  Tadeuskund,  and  Pax- 
nous,  chief  of  the  Shawanese  of  the  Susquehanna,  had 
made  a  second  attempt  to  entice  the  inhabitants  to 
Wyoming.  Although  there  were,  at  first,  not  a  few 
in  favor  of  yielding,  the  representations  of  the  Board 
finally  prevailed,  and  a  unanimous  refusal  was  given. 
To  this  the  converts  .adhered,  in  spite  of  other  subse- 
iquent  efforts  to  break  up  their  Mission. 

Paxnous's  visit  was  overruled  by  God  to  promote  the 
(glory  of  the  Gospel.  A  deep  impression  of  its  truth 
J  was  made  upon  his  heart;  while  his  wife  was  con- 
Werted,  and  received  baptism  at  the  hands  of  Bishop 
jSpangenberg. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


221 


LSSACRE 


The  first  m i^icuiar}LJ:o_ yL'H, Jhe_^£iifi42Jl^^QL^^PA? 
denh^ttJ^l^wils^t^&t  J&ii 

who  hastened  to  their  lodges,  scarcely  two  months  after 
their  departure,  warning,  admonishing,  and  reproving, 
them  with  words  of  power  and  of  love.  This  led  to) 
stated  itinerancies  in  the  valley  of  "Wyoming.  In  this 
work  Zeisherger  now  engaged,  having  allowed  himself 
but  ten  days  of  rest  after  his  return  from  Onondaga. 
Christian  Seidel  was  his  companion.' 

They  found  Frederick  Post  at  "Wyoming,  where  he 
had  established  himself  in  order  to  minister  to  the  con- 
verts and  entertain  visiting  missionaries ;  and  when  they 
saw  the  dire   famine  which  was  prevailing,  their  first 
care  was  to  relieve  his  wants  and  those  of  the  Indians, 
by  going  back  to  Shamokin  for  supplies.     Then  they 
began  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  a  tribe  of  Monseys,  orL\ 
the  Laekawannock,  not  far  from  the  present  Scranton.L  C 
Zeisherger  was  but  imperfectly  acquainted  with  taeiia  ''  , 
dialect,  yet  the  women  said  that  he  spoke  "words  of/ 
gold,"  and  the  whole  clan  invited  him  to  repeat  his  visitJ 

At  onadenhlitten,  on  his  way  back  to  Bethlehem,  he 
heard  of  that  disastrous  event  which  had  sent  a  thrill  of 
dismay  through  every  British  Colony  of  America.  Al- 
though war  between  England  and  France  had  not  been 
declared,  it  existed.  The  very  day  (July  9tli)  on  which 
Zeisherger  and  Seidel  had  pushed  their  canoe  from  the 


S£. 


yr 


1  Born  1715,  ncir  Erfurt,  Germany;  died  1808,  in  the  ninety-third 
year  of  his  age,  at  Bethlehem. 

2  An  elder  of  the  young  men  of  the  Church.     He  died  in  North 
Carolina. 


1 

k 

m 


222 


LIFE  ASD   TIMES  OF 


1 

m 

I 
h 

fl 

w; 

'f 

^  * 

lyi 

\A 

^j- 

1 

1 

J 

river-bank  at  Shamokin,  eager  to  bring  food  to  the  fam- 
ishing Indiana  of  "Wyoming,  General  Braddock,  whom 
the  British  government  had  sent  to  defend  the  frontiers, 
had  sufiered  an  utter  defeat,  ten  miles  from  Fort  Dn- 
quesne,  himself  receiving  a  mortal  wound,  and,  before 
he  died,  ordering  a  retreat  to  Cumberland.  It  was  not 
only  the  victory  which  France  had  gained  that  caused 
such  general  consternation,  but  the  opportunity  thus 
given  to  the  French  Indians  to  ravage  Pennsylvania 
with  their  murderous  hatchets  and  their  burning  brands. 
XheMora^jiiils^j;o\YCvei:3^id  not  Totirg^iom  JJiejReld. 
Strong  confidence  in  God  and  great  calmness  of  mind 
were  vouchsafed  to  Bishop  Spangenberg,  the  Board,  and 
all  the  missionaries  throughout  this  whole  period.  "The 
country,"  wrote  Spangenberg  to  Count  Zinzendorf,  "is 
full  of  fear  and  tribulation.  In  our  churches  there  is 
light.  Wo  live  in  peace,  and  feel  the  presence  of  the 
Saviour."'  The  missionaries  m>t  only  reniained  at  their 
sexeralstation^,  but  measures  were  taken  to  extejjd, 
the  work.  The  eighth  of  September,  which  witnessed 
the  defeat  of  Count  Dieskau,  near  the  waters  of  Lake 
George,  and  gained  a  baronetcy  for  "William  Johnson, 
was  distinguished  at  Bethlehem  by  an  enthusiastic  mis- 
i.sionary  conference,  composed  of  four  bishops,  sixteen 
missionaries,  and  eighteen  female  assistants,  w'ho  cove- 
nanted anew  to  be  faitnful  to  the  Lord,  and  to  press  for- 
ward into  the  Indian  country,  as  long  as  it  was  possible, 

With  regai'd  to 


in  spite  of  wars  and  rumors  of  wars. 


•  Rislor's  Spangcnbcrg's  Lolxni,  p.  313. 


DAVID  ZEISBEBGER. 


223 


.y 


Zeisbergcr,  this  conference  determined  that  he  should! 
continue  to  be  a  traveling  evangelist,  but  that  it  shouldV 
be  his  special  work  to  establish  a  Mission  among  the  SixJ 

Nations.' 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  confidence  thus  mani- 
fested, amid  the  prevailing  trepidation,  tended  to  bring 
the  Church  into  still  more  general  disfavor.     The  manly 
courage  of  her  missionaries  was  imputed  to  a  secret  un- 
derstanding with  the  French  and  the  French  Indians,— 
their  faith  perverted  into  an  evidence  of  treason.     A  i 
letter  from  an  officer  in  Quebec  appeared  in  the  news-  ^  X 
papers.    It  was  said  to  have  been  intercepted  by  the  y<^^ 
government.     The  writer,  addressing  a  friend,  asserted  ^   ' 
that  the  French  were  certain  of  soon  conquering  the 
English,  for  not  only  the  Indians  had  mostly  espoused 
their  cause,  but  the   Moravians  were  also   their  good 
friends,  and  would  give  them  every  assistance  in  their 
power.     This  letter  was  a  gross  forgery ;  but  it  inflamed 
the  public  -nind  to  such  a  degree  that  for  a  time  no 
Moravian  clergyman  was  safe  from  insult,  and  the  whole 
Church  was  threatened  with   extermination.      Of  this 
state  of  feeling  Zeisberger  had  abundant  evidence  while 
on  a  tour  to  :he  stations  in  New  England  in  the  month 
of  October.     The  work,  however,  prospered   notwith- 
standing all  opposition. 

Meanwhile  those  Indians  who  were  hostile  to  the 
English  had  begun  to  prepare  for  war.  The  nations 
were   divided.      William    Johnson    had    induced    the 


1  Minutes  of  the  Conference.     MS.  B.  A. 


fT 


I.  i 


i^/f\ 


^(Ci^ 


m 


224 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


H-i 


;ii 


^^ 


'Mohawks,  Tuscaroras,  and  Oneidas  to  take  sides  with 
the  British,  aud  the  Onondagas,  Cayugas,  aud  Senecas 
to  remain  neutral;  although  it  required  all  his  influence 
and  the  most  strenuous  efforts  to  hring  this  about.  Not 
a_few  of  the^^l^"^^'^'*-  Ii'oquoia,  however,  went  gver 
to  the  Frer^ch.  Of  the  Susquehanna  Delawares  and 
'Shawanese,  a  part,  influenced  by  Logan,  John  Thach- 
iiechtoris,  Scarrooyady,  Paxuous,  The  Belt,  Zigarea,  and 
Andrew  Montour,  remained  true  to  the  Colonies;  and 
'several  of  these  chiefs  otiered  to  collect  their  people  at 
Shamokin,  and  make  this  a  post  against  the  French.' 
But  another  part  seized  the. hatchet  with  fierce  eager- 
ness. The  Delawares  and  Shawauese  of  the  Ohio,  and 
many  other  Western  nations,  did  the  same.  Among 
the  leaders  of  these  blood-thirsty  enemies  were  Shingas, 
a  great  warrior  of  the  "Western  Delawares;  Buck- 
shanoath,  a  Shawanese,  of  Wyoming;  and  Tadeuskuud, 
once  that  "Brother  Gideon"  who  had  vowed,  in  holy 
baptism,  to  renounce  the  devil  and  serve  the  living 
God.  He  had  been  elevated  to  the  dignity  of  "  King 
of  the  Delawares;"  and  this  had  extinguished  the  last 
glimmering  spark  of  faith.  lie  became  an  apostate ; 
made  common  cause  with  the  savages ;  and  was 
acknowledged  as  one  of  their  boldest  captains.  At 
Neskapoke,  the  rendezvous  of  the  warriors,  he  aud 
Shingas  planned  more  than  one  bloody  massacre. 

The  first  token  of  the  existence  of  an  Indian  war  was 


the  burning  of  homeyteitds-onthe  Potonjf^c.     But  Peun- 


»  Colonial  Kecords  of  Penna.,  Part  vi.  640,  etc. 


DAVID  ZEISDEROER. 


225 


:e  sides  with 
aud  Senecas 
bis  influence 
about.     Kot 
iJient_j)VQr 
lawarea  and 
Fohn  Tbach- 
Zigarea,  and 
clonics;  and 
jir  people  at 
he  French.' 
fierce  eager- 
le  Ohio,  and 
16.     Among 
ere  Shingas, 
ires;    Buck- 
Cadeuskund, 
^ed,  in  holy 
i  the   living 
y  of  "  King 
aed  the  last 
n  apostate ; 
;    and    was 
ptains.     At 
)r8,   he   and 
acre. 

ian  war  was 
But  Peun- 


Bylvauia  soon  felt  its  horrors.  On  the  sixteenth  of 
October,  a  band  of  French  Indians  attacked  the  farms 
on  Penn's  Creek — in  that  part  of  Cumberland  County 
which  is  now  Snyder  —  and  murdered  or  captured 
most  of  the  inhabitants.'  This  catastrophe  was  not\ 
known  at  GnadenhUtten  when  Zeisberger  and  Seidel 
arrived,  on  their  way  to  the  Monseys  of  the  Lacka- 
wannock,  although  the  settlers  were  fleeing  to  the 
towns,  from  every  part  of  the  frontier,  in  wild  con- 
fusion. At  Wyoming,  too,  nothing  had  as  yet  been 
heard  of  the  massacre,  and  the  missionaries  began 
their  work.  But  the  Monseys  were  preparing  to 
celebrate  one  of  their  sacrificial  feasts,  and  had  no 
ear  for  the  Gospel.  Its  words  no  longer  seemed  golden 
to  the  women  of  the  village.  "You  grieve  us,"  said 
Zeisberger,  as  disappointed  he  turned  back,  with  his 
companion,  to  Wyoming ;  "  you  listen  rather  to  the 
drum  at  your  idolatrous  feast  than  to  what  we  telly 
you  of  your  God !" 

Paxnous,  who  had  been  at  Shamokin,  awaited  them 
with  a  letter  from  the  missionaries  of  that  station, 
detailing  the  massacre  at  Penn's  Creek,  and  warning 
them  of  their  danger.'  They  remained,  however,  for 
two  days    longer,   preaching  Christ  with   overflowing 


<- 


-<^ 


'  Colonial  Becords  of  Pa.,  vi.  645,  etc. 

'  There  were  two  missionaries  at  Shamokin — Ropssler  and  KicierV) 
besides   Peter  Wesa,  the  smith.      The  massacre   occurred  only   six( 
miles  from  the  town,  and  the  murderers  came  thither.     Eocsslcr  and 
"Wesa  escaped  to  Bethlehem.    Kiefer  was  concealed  for  two  weeks  in 
the  lodge  of  a  friendly  Indian,  and  then  escorted  to  Bethlehem  ^ 
Thachnechtoris. 

15 


226 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


hearts,  especially  to  Paxnons,  whom  they  entreated  to 
lay  hold  on  eternal  life.  They  feared  that  perhaps  for 
years  that  lovely  valley  would  be  closed  to  the  Gos- 
pel. On  the  last  day  of  October  they  bent  their  steps 
homeward.  At  GnadenhUtteu  they  found  the  converts 
and  their  teachers  trusting  in  God ;  but  at  the  Water- 
Gap  they  met  two  hundred  excited  militia-men,  who 
overwhelmed  them  with  eager  inquiries,  which  were 
repeated  at  every  plantation.  In  the  night  of  the 
second  of  November  they  reached  Bethlehem,^  and 
immediately  visited  Squire  ^lorsfield,  giving  him  an 
account  of  all  they  knew  respecting  the  movements 
of  the  hostile  Indians.  lie  took  a  deposition  of  their 
narrative,  and  sent  it  by  express  to  Governor  Morris.'^ 

But  this  was  not  the  only  information  which  the  Gov- 
ernor received.  Conrad  "Weisser,  John  Harris,  the  sur- 
vivors of  the  massacre,  Logan,  Andrew  Montour,  as 
well  as  all  the  friendly  chiefs,  urged  him  to  adopt 
speedy  and  energetic  measures  for  the  defense  of  the 
Colony.     Instead  of  do'.ig  this,  he  engaged  in  acrimo- 


>  At  the  end  of  tho  MS.  Journal  describing  this  tour  is  the  following 
indorsement  by  Bishop  Hehl :  "  Logit  cum  suspirlls  pro  prosperitate 
sementis  inter  frigora  et  turbines,  Matthaeus." 

2  Pa.  Archives,  ii.  459,  etc.  Timothy  Horsfiold  was  born  at  Liver- 
pool, April  25,  1708,  and  immigrated  to  Ap^^'ica  in  his  seventeenth 
year.  In  1748,  he  joined  the  Moravian  Church  in  "^Tew  Yoik,  and 
moved  to  Bethlehem  in  the  following  year.  There  ho  was  appointed 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  which  office  he  filled  for  about  twelve  years.  In 
the  Pontiac  Conspiracy  he  was  commissioned  Colonel  of  the  county, 
but  resigned  this  position  on  account  of  tho  jealousy  which  his  ad- 
vancement had  awakened  outside  of  Bethlehem.  Thereupon  he  was 
deprived  of  his  justiceship  also.    He  died  March  9,  1773. 


DAVID  ZEISBEEGER. 


227 


y  entreated  to 
it  perhaps  for 
1  to  the  Gos- 
nt  their  steps 
1  the  converts 
at  the  Water- 
itia-mcn,  who 
!,  which  were 
night  of  the 
hlehem,^  and 
iving  him  au 
le  movements 
sition  of  their 
lor  Morris.'^ 
hich  the  Gov- 
^arris,  the  sur- 
'  Montour,  as 
tiim  to  adopt 
lefense  of  the 
ed  in  acrimo- 


iT  is  the  following 
3  pro  prosperitate 

lis  born  at  Liver- 
n  his  seventeenth 
■^Tcw  Yoik,  and 
ho  was  appointed 
twelve  years.  In 
lel  of  the  county, 
isy  which  his  ad- 
["hereupon  he  was 
773. 


nious  disputes  with  the  Assembly  concerning  the  legality 
of  taxing,  alotig  with  other  real  estate,  the  estates  of  the 
Proprietaries,  in  order  to  raise  funds  for  the  crisis.  Still 
other  points  of  dic?greement  occurred,  which  were  tena- 
ciously upheld  by  both  parties,  in  spite  of  the  constant 
entreaties  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  frontier  counties, — 
in  spite  of  the  arrival  in  Philadelphia  of  a  body  of  four 
hundred  Gern-ans,  imploring  the  authorities  to  defer 
their  unseasonable  debates  and  protect  the  people, — in 
spite  of  the  jeers  of  the  Indian  allies,  and,  at  last,  of  their 
threats  to  desert  the  English  cause  and  espouse  that  of 
the  French  if  the  government  delayed  any  longer.  It 
was  not  until  a  letter  from  the  Proprietaries  had  been 
received — written  immediately  after  the  news  of  Brad- 
dock's  defeat  had  reached  England — and  announcing  a 
donation  from  them  of  jG5000  toward  the  defense  of  the 
Province,  that  this  shameful  wrangling  ceased.  By  that 
time,  however,  the  tomahawks  of  the  savages  were 
reeking  with  blood. 

After  his  return  from  Wyoming,   Zeisberger   spent 
some  weeks  at  Bethlehem,  Christiansbrunn,  and  Gna-^ 
denhiitten,  am'd  growing  alarm  throughout  the  Colony 
He  was  occasionally  employed  by  the  Board  as  a  mes- 
senger to  Moravian  settlements,  and  also  as  an  escort 
to  friendly  Indians.'     In  the  latter  capacity  he  accom- 
panied Thachnechtoris  —  who  was  going  back  to   his  ^ 
kindred,  after  having    acted   so   noble   a   part  toward! 
Kiefer — as  far  as  GnadenhUtten,  and  brought  the  ue\va/ 


:\ 


1  Bethlehem  Diary,  Nov.  1755.     MS.  B.  A. 


f 


a 


Hi  ill 

1 1      II 

'is 


U'!^ 


228 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


from  that  station  that  savages,  painted  and  armed  for 
war,  sometimes  appeared  in  the  neighborhood,  and  that 
the}'  had  attempted  to  alarm  the  inhabitants  and  induce 
them  to  forsake  the  town,  but  without  success,  the  con- 
verts affirming  their  determination  to  live  and  die  with 
their  teachers.  In  the  same  capacity,  Zeisbergei-,  on  the 
twenty-second  of  November,  attended  several  natives 
who  had  arrived  from  Wyoming  to  Easton,  where  he 
testified  before  Squire  Parsons  to  their  peaceable  dispo- 
sition, and  secured  for  them  a  pass  to  Philadelphia.  On 
this  occasion  he  had  an  opportunity  to  vindicate  the 
character  of  the  Brethren.  Easton  was  full  of  armed 
Jerseymen.  They  were  discussing  the  events  of  the 
war,  accusing  the  Moravians  of  a  secret  understanding 
with  the  French  Indians,  and  threatening  to  attack 
Bethlehem  and  lay  it  even  with  the  ground.^  Zeis- 
berger  hastened  to  explain  to  them  the  character  of  '.he 
work  which  the  Church  was  carrying  on  in  the  Indian 
country,  giving  them  at  the  same  time  an  account  of 
the  flight  of  the  missionaries  from  Shamokin,  and  set- 
ting forth  everything  known  at  Bethlehem  with  regard 
to  the  war-parties.  His  statements  were  well  received, 
even  by  the  most  violent  of  the  men,  who  confessed  that 
they  had  been  misinformed.  Two  days  later  the  calum- 
nies under  which  the  Moravians  were  sufteriuff  were 
disproved  in  a  manner  that  overwhelmed  their  traducera 
throughout  the  Colonies  with  shame. 

The  twenty-fourth  of  November  was  an  exciting  day 


1  Bethlehem  Diary,  Nov.  1755.     MS  B.  A. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


229 


iirmcd  for 
d,  and  that 
and  induce 
38,  the  eon- 
id  die  with 
gcr,  on  the 
ral  natives 
,  where  he 
able  dispo- 
Iphia.  On 
dicate  the 

of  armed 
nts  of  the 
erstandinsj 

to  attack 
nd.i  Zeis- 
3ter  of  'he 
the  Indian 
.ccount  of 
I,  and  set- 
ith  regard 
I  received, 

the  calum- 
sring  were 
f  traducers 


cciting  day 


vV 


at  Bethlehem.  Several  bodies  of  militia  arrived,  on 
their  road  to  the  frontier,  and  made  the  little  settlement 
as  noisy  with  the  drum  and  fife  as  though  it  were  a  mil- 
itary post.  As  some  of  these  troops  intended  to  pass  <y 
through  Gnadenhiitten,  Zeisberger  set  out  on  horseback 
to  notify  the  missionaries  of  their  coming.  At  the  Le- 
high Water-Gap  he  fell  in  with  a  company  of  Irish 
militia,  who  detained  him  for  several  hours  as  a  sus- 
picious character,  when  they  heard  that  he  came  from 
Bethlehem.     This  delay  saved  his  life. 

At  that  time  the  Mission  at  Gnadenhiitten  was  in 
charge  of  Mack,  Grube,  Gchmick,  and  Schebosb,  who 
all  lived  with  the  converts  in  the  new  town  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Lehigh.  Of  the  settlement  on  the  Mahony, 
besides  the  mill,  the  following  buildings  remained :  the 
Chapel,  or  Congregation  House,  as  it  was  called  in  the 
phraseology  of  the  Moravians,  the  House  of  the  Pil- 
grims, Brethren's  House,  store,  barn,  stable,  kitchen, 
and  milk-house.  In  the  House  of  the  Pilgrims  lived 
Joachim  and  Anna  Catharine  Senseman,  Gottlieb  and 
Joanna  Anders,  Martin  and  Susanna  Nitschmann,  and 
George  and  Maria  Partsch.  In  the  Brethren's  House 
resided  John  Gattermeyer,  George  Fabricius,  George 
Schweigert,  Martin  Presser,  John  F.  Lesly,  Peter  Wor- 
bass,  and  Joseph  Sturgis.  This  little  colony  was  under 
the  pastoral  care  of  Anders.  Senseman  was  the  over 
seer  of  the  property;  Fabricius,  an  alumnus  of  a  Eu 
ropean  university,  was  engaged  in  studying  the  Dela. 
ware  language,  and  at  the  same  time  taught  the  Indianl 
school;  Gattermeyer  assisted  both  Anders  and  Sense 


il,i; 


230 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


%    > 


i  H       * 

9  J  I  r  <    « 


^ 


e  , 


.  r 


.r^y 


(man ;  Lesly  instructed  the  natives  in  farming ;  Presser 
\\\\  carpenter-work;  and  Xitscbmann,  Partsch,  Schwei- 

1  gert,  Worbass,  and  Sturgis  cultivated  the  land. 

The  shades  of  evening  were  falling  when  Zeisberger 
reached  GnadenhUtten.  Having  delivered  his  letters, 
he  prepared  to  go  to  the  Mahony  settlement.  Mack 
earnestly  begged  him  to  wait  until  morning.  "  The 
tracks  of  French  Indians,"  he  added,  "have  been  dis- 
covered, this  very  day,  in  the  neighborhood,  and  if 
you  venture  across  the  river,  now  that  it  is  nearly  dark, 
you  may  expose  yourself  to  imminent  danger."  "I 
have  promised,"  was  Zeisberger's  answer,  "to  carry 
these  letters  to  the  Brethren  on  the  Mahony  this  even- 
ing; I  "annot  stay.  Be  unconcerned  about  me.  Good- 
night !"     So  saying,  he  rode  off. 

How  good  and  pleasant  the  social  fellowship  of  Mora- 
vian settlers  in  those  early  days  !     They  toiled  in  com- 

^  mon,  and   in   common    they  ate    the    bread  of   their 

■«.  industry.  Whether  as  missionaries  or  farmers,  as  minis- 
ters or  mechanics,  their  work  was  performed  iu  the 
interests  of  the  Gospel  and  to  the  glory  of  God.  To 
them  religion  was  not  an  austere  principle,  not  the  ful- 
filling of  a  code  of  duties;  but  a  life  of  holy  happiness. 
Her  beauty  smiled  upon  them  in  the  midst  of  their 
labors;  her  sweet  breath  animated  them  in  the  hours 
of  recreation ;  her  presence  made  them,  whenever  they 
met,  not  only  brethren  of  one  fraternity,  but  friends, 
among  whom  existed  affinity  of  thought  and  feeling 
and  enjoyments. 
An  instance  of  all  this  was  the  circle  of  "Brethren" 


'*''     riw^^^    'yMi.ULVtAJi^^.-. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER.  231 

and  "  Sisters"  around  the  supper-table,  in  the  House  of 
the  Pilgrims,  toward  which  Zeisberger  had  taken  his 
way.     The  whole  family  was  present,  except  Mrs.  Sense- 
man  and  Worbass,  both  of  whom  were  unwell,  and  had 
remained,  the  former  in  another  apartment,  the  latter 
in   the  Brethren's  House.     The  simple  meal  was  just 
over.     And  while,  without,  the    chill    autumnal  wind 
sighed  among  the  fallen  leaves,  and,  within,  the  crack- 
ling logs  of  a  great  chimney-fire  sent  up   a  cheerful 
blaze,  and  gave  to  the  room  that  rough  but  welcome 
comfort  M-^iich  characterizes  forest-life  of  evenings,  the 
little  company  sat  talking  about  the  incidents  of  the 
day's  work,  the  faith  which  the  converts  were  mani- 
festing amid  the   temptations  of  the  times,  and  the 
blessedness  of  a  communion  with  the   Saviour.     The 
prolonged  barking  of  the   farm-dogs  interrupted  this 
conversation.     "  It  occurs  to  me,"  said  Senseman,  "that 
the  Congregation  House  is  still  open;    I  will  go  and 
lock  it;  there  may  be  stragglers  from   the  militia  in 
the  neighborhood."    He  rose,  and  left  the  table.     The 
rest  remained  together,  unsuspicious  of  any  danger. 

Meanwhile  Zeisberger  was  fording  the  Lehigh.  Sud- 
denly a  thrilling  shout  of  distress  bur^t  from  the  bank. 
He  heard  it  not,  amid  the  splashing  of  the  water  under 
his  horse's  hoofs,  and  the  rushing  of  the  river  in  its 
rocky  bed.  But  the  cry  reached  the  Mission  House  at 
Gnadenhlitten,  where  stood  Mack,  in  great  anxiety, 
looking  into  the  dark  night.  Running  to  the  Lehigh,^ 
he  found  Senseman  and  Partsch,  who  had  fled  across 
with  the  fearful  intelligence  that  savages  were  attacking 


"  uW 


232 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OP 


r    'i     S 

(        1 


lif 


♦   ! 


;,)* 


the  Houso  of  the  Pilgrims  on  the  Mahony.  By  this 
time  Zeisberger  had  almost  reached  the  western  bank. 
His  friends  called  to  him  to  turn  back;  but  not  until  his 
horse  had  gained  the  land  did  their  warning  voices 
excite  his  attention.  Then  he  made  haste  to  reford  the 
stream.  Almost  in  the  same  moment  young  Sturgis 
came  struggling  through  it;  while  a  big  volume  of 
flames  rose,  with  lurid  glare,  in  the  direction  of  the 
Mahony. 

From  Partsch  and  Sturgis,  Zeisberger  obtained  the 
particulars  of  the  attack.  Soon  after  Senseman  had 
left  the  house  footsteps  were  heard  approaching  the 
door,  which  one  of  the  company  at  the  table  opened 
to  see  who  was  coming.  Great  God!  before  them 
stood  a  band  of  painted  savages,  who,  raising  a  terrific 
war-whoop,  instantly  discharged  their  rifles  into  the 
room.  Martin  Nitschmaun  fell  dead  on  the  spot;  a 
bullet  grazed  the  cheek  of  Sturgis;  the  rest  retreated 
toward  the  stairs  leading  to  the  loft;  while  Partsch, 
being  near  a  window,  crept  out  unobserved  and  escaped. 
The  Indians  continued  firing,  and  five  more  persons 
were  killed  before  they  could  reach  the  attic.  Nitsch- 
mann's  wife  had  nearly  gained  it,  when  she  fell  back- 
Avard  among  the  savages,  crying  in  piteous  tones,  "Oh, 
Brethren,  Brethren,  help  me !"  The  entrance  to  the 
loft  was  a  trap-door,  which  Schweigert  succeeded  in  so 
efiectually  barricading  that,  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour, 
the  enemy  were  foiled.  They  fired,  incessantly,  through 
the  floor,  roof,  and  window,  but  hit  no  one.  All  at 
once  the  shooting  ceased;  deep  silence  prevailed;  and 


DAVID  ZEISBEROER. 


233 


.  By  this 
tera  bank, 
ot  until  his 
ling  voices 
I  reford  the 
ng  Sturgis 
volume  of 
ion  of  the 

stained  the 
8  em  an  had 
aching  the 
ble  opened 
jfore  them 
g  a  terrific 
8  into  the 
le  spot ;  a 
it  retreated 
le  Partsch, 
id  escaped. 
)re  persons 
c.  Nitsch- 
fell  back- 
ones,  "Oh, 
nee  to  the 
eded  in  so 
if  an  hour, 
ly,  through 
le.  All  at 
'ailed;  and 


hope  began  to  awaken  in  the  hearts  of  the  survivors. 
But    they   soon    recognized    the    terrible    fate   which 
awaited   them.     The   cruel   torch   had   been   applied: 
the  house  was  in  flames.     When  Anders  saw  this,  he 
went  to  the  w'ndow,  which  was  in  the  gable  end,  and 
shouted  vehemently  for  help.      No   friendly  voice   re- 
plied ;    only  the   triumphant  yells  of   the    murderous 
band.      But  the  Lord,  of  whom  they  had  been   con- 
versing so  joyfully  a   few   minutes  before,  was  witT5N 
them,  and    made    them    strong.     Mrs.  Sensemau    sat  ( 
down    upon   a    bed,   and   exclaimed,   "Dear   Saviour, 
just   as  I   expected !"     These   were   her  last   words^^ 
Mrs.  Anders,  wrapping  her   apron   around   her  infant 
daughter — who  screamed  in  so  heart-rending  a  manner 
that  her  cries  were  heard  above   the   roar  of  the  fire 
and  whoops   of  the  Indians — expressed  anxiety  only 
on  her  babe's   account,  and  wished   that   it  could  be 
saved.      Just  then,  Sturgis  noticed  that   the  savages 
had  gone  to  the  other  side  of  the  house.     Quick  asN 
thought    he   leaped    from   the  window  and    escaped.^  / 
Meanwhile  Partsch  had  met  Sensemau   coming  from/^ 
the  Congregation  House,  and  fled  with  him  across  thej 
Lehigh. 

Having    listened  to    these  harrowing    details,  Zeis- 
berger  rode  at    full    speed    to  Bethlehem,   where  he 

1  Sturgis,  a  lad  of  seventeen  years,  who  escaped  in  so  wonderful*"^ 
manner,  afterward  settled  at  Litiz,  where  he  died  in  1817,  in  the/ 
eightieth  year  of  his  age.  He  hecame  the  father  of  ten  children,  and  at  / 
the  time  of  his  death  had  thirty-four  grandchildren  and  three  groat-  I 
grandchildren.  In  the  year  1864  there  were  living  at  Litiz  more  than  I 
thirty  of  his  lineal  descendants,  all  bearing  his  name. 


('^. 


^t 


-'^■J 


z< 


•J : 


i^: 


1 


234 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


arrived  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  twenty- 
fifth,  and  roused  Bishop  Spangenbcrg  from  sleep  with 
the  startling  news.  Two  hours  later,  at  five  o'clock, 
were  heard  the  solemn  tones  of  the  church  bell,  calling 
the  congregation  to  the  early  matins  which  were  daily 
held.  The  bishop  opened  the  service  in  the  usual  way, 
delivering  a  short  discourse  upon  the  words,  "  And 
Joseph  saw  his  brethren,  and  he  knew  them,  but  made 
himself  strange  unto  them."'  In  the  course  of  his 
remarks,  he  applied  the  passage  tc  the  Lord's  deal- 
ings with  men,  and,  as  an  illustration,  announced  the 
massacre.  A  thrill  of  horror  agitated  the  assembly ; 
but  the  bishop  immediately  fell  on  his  kncis, — the 
pastors  and  people  followed  his  example, — and,  with 
earnest  prayer,  they  all  humbled  themselves  under  the 
mighty  hand  of  God. 

The  first  of  the  survivors  that  reached  Bethlehem  was 
fWorbass,  who  came  later  in  the  morning,  alone  and  on 
jfoot.     He  had  escaped  from  the  Brethren's  House.     In 
fthe  afternoon   appeared   Senseman   and  thirty  of  the 
Christian  Indians ;  and,  in  the  afternoon  of  the  follow- 
ing day,  Sturgis,  Partsch,  and  Mrs.  Partsch,  who  was 
\  supposed  to  be  among  the  victims.     From  her  further 
particulars  were  obtained. 

Encouraged  by  Sturgis's  success,  she,  too,  sprang  from 
the  window.  But  having  arrived  at  the  Mahony  only 
a  few  days  before,  she  knew  not  where  to  find  Gna- 
denhiitten,  and  hid  herself  amid  some  bushes.    From 

»  Gen.  xlii.  7. 


DAVID   ZEISDERGER. 


235 


twent}'- 
ep  witli 
o'clock, 
,  calling 
re  daily 
aal  way, 
,  "And 
it  made 
of  his 
I's  deal- 
iced  the 
serably ; 
<js, — the 
id,  with 
ider  the 

aem  was 
I  and  ou 
use.  In 
of  the 
}  follow- 
vho  was 
r  further 

mg  from 
3ny  only 
nd  Gna- 
1.    From 


this  shelter  she  saw  the  Indians  falling  upon  Fabricius, 
who  had  also  leaped  to  the  ground.    In  a  moment  he  lay 
weltering  in  his  blood, — shot,  tomahawked,  and  scalped. 
Next  she  beheld  them  running  to  the  several  buildings, 
plundering   and   setting   them  on  fire.      At  the  milk- 
house  they  divided  the  spoils,  prepared  a  feast  of  the 
provisions  which  they  had  found,  and  finally  applied 
the  torch   to  this  structure  likewise.      Then    they  left  \ 
the  spot  which  their  merciless  hands  had  made  deso-  j 
late.     Creeping  from   her  place  of  concealment,  Mr-».  | 
Partseh   took   her   way   to   the   river,   and    spent   the  ! 
night  wandering  up  and  down  the  bank,  with  cries  to  ^^ 
God  for  aid.     When  the  day  broke,  her  prayers  were  : 
heard.      She  descried  a  man  and  a  boy  crossing  the  I 
stream,  followed  by  a  party  of  militia.      They  came  i 
nearer.     It  was  her  own  husband  and  young  Sturgis^ 
On  the  Mahony,  amid   charred  logs  and   smoking 
embers,  they  found  what  the  fire  had  spared  of  the 
remains  of  the  victims;  and,  not  far  off,  the  mutilated]    a)      .  . 
body  of  Fabricius,  guarded  by  his  faithful  dog.*    Upon  a'        ^ '  ^'" 
stump  of  a  tree  lay  a  blanket  and  hat,  with  a  knife  stuck     "  '/ >vl6o.(^ 
through  them,  a  symbol  of  the  savages  signifying,  "  Thusjj        "- — ' 
much  we  have  done,  and  are  able  to  do  more !"" 

'  These  remains  were  subsequently  interred  by  Anthony  Schmidt, 
of  Bethlehem,  in  one  common  grave,  on  the  consecrated  ground  of 
the  Indian  congregation.  Through  the  exertions  of  Bishop  JLttwein, 
on  December  2,  1788,  a  slab  with  an  inscription  was  placed  upon  the 
grave.  In  1848,  a  small  marble  monument  was  erected  by  private  con- 
tributions, through  the  industry  of  the  late  Mr.  Joseph  Leibert,  of 
Bethlehem,  whose  wife  was  the  granddaughter  of  Martin  Nitschmann. 
The  ground  is  still  used  as  a  burial-place. 

» Pean.  Col.  Records,  vi.  622. 


•  ja.w 


286 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


—,'■1'-/ .,  .• 


'I 


/  Thus  perished  ten  persons :  Anna  Catharine  Sense- 
jman,  Gottlieb  and  Joanna  Anders  and  their  babe,  John 
vGattermeyer,  George  Fabricius,  George  Schweigert, 
I  Martin    Presser,    John    Lesly,    and    Martin    Nitsch- 

•mann. 

r- 

A  worse    fate    overwhelmed    Susanna    Nitschmann. 
'r'  For  months  she  was  deemed  to  be  among  the  dead. 
/But,  in   the    following    summer,   the    Mission    Board 
ascertained,  through  a  convert  of  Gnadenhiitten   who 
had  fled  to  the  Susquehanna  at  the  time  of  the  mas- 
sacre, that  she  had  been  carried  ofi^  as  a  captive. 

At  Wyoming  believing  women  ministered  to  her 
wants,  and  unsuccessfully  tried  to  shield  her  from  a  life 
more  terrible  than  death.  Her  captors  claimed  her, 
4  dragged  her  to  Tioga,  and  forced  her  to  share  the  wig- 
wam of  a  brutish  Indian.  The  horror  of  her  situation 
^  broke  her  strength.  She  relapsed  into  melancholy ; 
spent  her  days  and   nights  in  weeping;   until,  after  a 


'-\^i:V 


/  captivity  of  half  a  year,  God  released  her  from  her 
•>        "^1  'c^  f  misery,  and  took  her  to  His  eternal  rest.^ 
',  '*    >        "      The  news  of  the  massacre  was  sent  by  Horsfield  to 
JS         u        Squire  Parsons,  at  Easton,  who  dispatched  an  express  to 
Secretary  Peters,  at  Philadelphia.'    A  few  days  later. 


^ 


t^' 


:}> 


:t 


,-r 


\ 


\    V 


•  My  authorities  for  this  narrative  of  the  massacre  are  the  Beth- 
lehem MSS.  Diaries  for  November,  1755,  and  July,  1756;  Spangen- 
berg's  Circular  to  the  Churches  ;  short  MSS.  Memoirs  of  the  Victims ; 
and  Heckewelder's  Biographical  Sketch  of  Zeisberger. 

2  Fenn.  Col.  Records,  vi.  736  and  737.  This  letter  to  Parsons  shows 
that  Horsfield  wrote  it  under  groat  excitement,  and  before  accurate 
information  of  the  occurrence  had  been  obtained. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


237 


ohmann. 
\e  dead. 
I  Board 
:en  who 
;he  mas- 

to  her 
3111  a  life 
fied  her, 
the  wig- 
situation 
incholy ; 
,  after  a 
rem  her 

■sfield  to 
{press  to 
ys  later, 


the  Beth- 
;  Spangen- 
,e  Victims ; 

sons  shows 
:e  accurate 


Horsfield  wrote  a  full  account  to  Governor  Morris 
himself.'  The  intelligence  created  a  profound  sen- 
sation throughout  the  country.  The  most  violent 
enemies  of  the  Moravians  now  acknowledged  that 
they  had  done  them  a  gross  wrong. 

To  the  churches  under  his  charge  Bishop  Spangen- 
berg  sent  a  circular  instinct  with  faith  and  resignation 
to  God's  mysterious  will.  The  material  loss  which  the 
Mission  had  sustained  by  the  destruction  of  the  build- 
ings, he  estimated  at  more  than  fifteen  hundred  pounds 
sterling.' 

With  regard  to  Zeisberger,  all  his  friends  confessed 
that  his  escape  was  providential.  Nor  did  he  fail  to 
acknowledge  this.  Speaking  of  that  memorable  even- 1  j^^^, 
ing,  he  said,  "Had  I  arrived  at  Gnadenhiitten  either 
a  little  earlier  or  a  little  later,  I  would  inevitably  have 
fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  savages.  But  such  was 
not  the  will  of  my  Saviour.  He  would  have  me  serve 
Him  longer."' 

On  his  way  to  Bethlehem,  in  the  night  of  the  mas- 
sacre, Zeisberger  met,  six  miles  from  Gnadenhiitten,  the 
same  militia  who  had  detained  him  in  the  afternoon. 
These  hastened  to  the  scene  of  the  disaster,  as  did  like- 
wise Colonel  Anderson  and  his  company,  whom  he 
found  at  the  Gap,  and  a  messenger,  ordered  to  apply  for 


1  Penn.  Archives,  ii.  520-523. 

'  By  the  subsequent  turning  of  Gnadenhiitten  this  loss  was  increased 
to  over  £2000. 
»  Heckewelder's  Biographical  Sketch  of  Zeisberger. 


M 


238 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


P  bMi 


•J'. 


«;>  :>'H 


X 


vS-' 


imruod'uite  reinforcements,  accompanied  him  to  the  Irish 
eettlemcut.' 

Meanwhile  the  Christian  Indians  gathered  around 
their  teachers,  and,  kindling  with  the  tire  of  their  war- 
rior-days, offered  to  cross  the  river  and  attack  the  sav- 
ages. But,  as  the  missionaries  would  not  c('  out  to 
such  a  measure,  they  dispersed  and  fled  into  t'         -est. 

The  party  that  made  tlie. assault  wag  comjjosed  of 
Monseys,  and  numhered  ahout  twelve^  braves.^  It  was 
led  by  Jacheabus,  the  chief  of  Assinnissink,  a  Monsey 
town  in  Steuben  County,  New  York.  In  the  Pontiac 
War  this  town  was  destroyed  by  the  Mohawks  and 
Jacheabus  taken  prisoner.  He  ended  his  life  as  a 
captive.' 

In  the  course  of  a  few  days  numerous  volunteers 
hastened  to  GnadenhUtten,  Squire  Ilorsfield  having  sent 
out  letters  to  call  the  whole  neighborhood  to  arms. 
Protected  by  these  troops,  the  missionaries  brought  the 
most  of  the  converts  from  their  hiding-places  and  led 
them  to  Bethlehem.  The  rest  found  their  way  to  Wyo- 
ming. From  Bethlehem  the  Indians  sent  an  address  to 
Governor  Morris,  professing  their  allegiance  to  the 
British  crown,  and  putting  themselves  under  its  protec- 
tion. "As  you  have  made  it  your  own  choice,"  the 
Governor  wrote  in  response,  "  to  become  members  of 
our  civil  society  and  subjects  of  the  same  govcrnnlent, 


J  Penn.  Col.  Records,  vi.  736. 
*  Penn.  Archives,  ii.  622. 

>  Zeisberger's  Journal  of  his  Exploratory  Tour  to  the  Alleghany  River 
in  1767.     MS.  B.  A. 


'^^tr?  A.V     W  :i«v 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


239 


the  Irish 

1  around 
;heir  war- 
k  the  sav- 
V     out  to 

•est. 
iposed__of 
.2  It  was 
a  Mousey 
e  Pontiac 
awks  and 
life  as  a 

volunteers 
aving  sent 
to  arras. 
I'ought  the 
38  and  led 
ly  to  Wyo- 
address  to 
ice  to  the 
its  protec- 
loice,"  the 
Lembers  of 
r)vernnient, 


leghany  River 


and  determiuGd  to  share  the  same  fate  with  us,  I  shall 
make  it  my  care  to  extend  the  same  protection  to  you 
as  to  the  other  subjects  of  his  Majesty;  and,  as  a  testi- 
mony of  the  regard  paid  by  the  government  to  the  dis- 
tressed state  of  that  part  of  the  Province  where  you 
have  suffered  so  much,  I  ha-e  determined  to  build  a 
fort  at  Gnadenhiitten,  from  which  you  will  receive  equal 
security  with  the  white  people  under  my  caie."  *    Buf] 
before  such  a  fort  could  be  erected,  the  savages,  on  Newf 
Year's  Day  of  1756,  surprised  the  guard  of  forty  militia-  / 
men  who  were  stationed  there,  routed  them,  and  laid  1 
the  entire  village  in  ashes,  together  with  the  mill  on  \ 
the  Mahony.*    On  the  seventh  of  January,  Benjamin  ^ 
Franklin  arrived  at  Bethlehem,  in  order  to  superintend  / 
the  defenses  of  Northampton  County.     His  measures 
were  energetic.     He  put  up  a  log  fort  on  the  site  of 
Gnadenhiitten,    mounting    two    swivels,   and   properly  1 
garrisoned.'     It  was  called   Fort  Allen,   and   formed/ 
one  of  a  series  of  posts   established  along  the  Blue/ 
Mountains,  from  the  Delaware  River  to  Maryland,  com-' 
manding  the  principal  passes  of  the  chain.     Bethlehem, 
meanwhile,  had  become  a  refuge  for  numerous  settlers, 
who  flocked  thither  from  every  part  of  the  country.     It 
was  surrounded  with  stockades,  and  now  formed  both  a 
frontier  post  and  a  protection  for  the  settlements  south- 
ward to  Philadelphia.      * 

Meantime  those  Christian  Indians  from  Gnadenhiitten 


1  Pcnn.  Col.  Records,  vi.  747-750. 

'  Bethlehem  Diary,  Jan.  1756.     Penn.  Col.  Records,  vi.  772. 

*  Penn.  Col.  Records,  vii.  15-17. 


240 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


who  were  of  the  Mohican  tribe  were  quartered  at  Beth- 
lehem, in  a  large  stone-house,  near  which  was  subse- 
quently erected  a  log  structure,  containing  a  chapel. 
Both  these  buildings   stood  on   the  west  side  of  the 
Monocasy  Creek,  near  the  mills  and  tun-yard  of  the 
'Settlement.     The  Delaware  converts  established  them- 
selves at  Gnadenthal,  in  the  vicinity  of  Nazareth.    They 
jworked  industriously  in    the  fields  and  farm-yards  of 
"^the  neighborhood,  or  by  making  wooden  bowls   and 
ladles,    shovels,  brooms,  and   sieves,  for  which    they 
found  a  ready  sale.     Many  of  these  articles  were  sent 
in  wagons  to  New  Brunswick  and  New  York. 


DAVID  ZEISBERQER. 


241 


i  at  Beth- 
vas  subse- 

a  chapel. 
,de  of  the 
ird  of  the 
ihed  them- 
eth.  They 
m-yards  of 
bbwls  and 
^hich    they 

were  sent 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.— 1756-1761. 

War  in  the  East  and  West.— Missionary  work  interrupted. — Zeisberger 
frequents  the  Indian  treaties.— Treaty  at  Piiiladelphia,  1756.— Decla- 
ration of  war  against  tlie  Dolawares  and  Sliawanese. — Zeisberger 
escorts  j>eaco-onvoys  to  Fort  Allen. — Journey  to  North  Carolina. — 
The  treaties  at  Easton,  in  July  and  November,  175G. — The  machina- 
tions of  Tndcuskund. — Tiie  treaty  at  Lancaster,  May,  1757. — Nain 
founded.— The  treaty  at  Easton,  July,  17;'(7.— Tht  reverses  of  England. 
— A  new  and  victorious  campaign  in  1758. — Frederick  Post,  tho 
messenger  of  peace.— Zeisberger  at  the  great  congress  at  Easton, 
October,  1758. — Visits  Schoharie  and  Pachgatgoch. — Second  journey 
to  North  Carolina. — Capitulation  of  Quebec  and  conquest  of  Canada. 
— Zeisberger  Superintendent  of  the  Brethren's  House  at  Litiz. — Second 
great  congress  at  Easton. — Zeisberger  government-interpreter. — His 
literary  labors  during  the  war. 

The  Av^ovld  was  convulsed  with  the  throes  of  mighty 
conflicts.     In  Europe  raged  the  Seven  Years'  War;  in 
the  East,  Clive  was  conquering  a  vast  empire  that  had, 
for  centuries,  been  enriching  a  proud  but  feeble  race ; 
on  the  bosom  of  the  broad  Atlantic  the  ships  of  England 
and    France    met    in    deadly   strife;  while,   in    Korth 
America,  the  final  struggle  between  these  ancient  rivals) 
for  the  supremacy  of  the  continent  was  at  its  height,  V 
and  made  terrible  by  the  wild  excesses  and  murderouaj 
cruelties  of  an  Indian  war. 

In  such  a  crisis,  it  was  impossible  to  preach  the  Gos-) 
pel  to  the  aborigines  who  roamed  beyond  the  blood-( 
stc'ned  frontiers   of  the  Colonies.    For  six  years  uqJ 

16 


f 


msm 


I^H 


\f 


k 


p' 


242 


L/i^E  AND   TIMES  OF 


servants  of  the  Most  High  God  made  known  the  grace 
of  His  only-begotten  Son,  at  Onondaga  or  Shamokin, 
on  the  Susquehanna  or  in  the  shadow  of  the  Blue 
Mountains.  To  care  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the 
refugees  from  Gnadenhutten,  and  of  the  converts  at  the 
stations  in  New  England,  was  all  that  the  Mission 
Board  could  undertake. 

^  Zeisberger  gave  himself  to  the  discharge  of  such 
'missionary  duties  as  the  times  permitted,  and  of  such 

jother  labors  as  they  called  for.  During  the  first  four 
years  of  this  period,  Christiansbrunn  appears  to  have 
been  his  place  of  residence.  But  he  was  sent  to  vari- 
ous settlements  as  a  messenger  of  the  Board.  The 
duty,  however,  in  which  he  most  frequently  engaged, 
called  him  to  the  several  treaties  instituted  by  the 
government  of  Pennsylvania.  On  these  occasions  his 
presence  was  always  welcome  to  the  natives,  and  they 
believed  it  would  help  to  secure  them  justice.*    He  did 

/not  act  as  interpreter,  or  take  part  in  the  negotiations ; 

I  but  mingled  with  the  Indians  in  order  to  embrace  the 

'^only  opportunHies  which  were   afforded  to  present  the 

JQospel. 

The_fir8t_treaty  which  he  attended  was  held  at  Phila- 
d^el^hi^  in  February,  with  John  Thachnechtoris,  The 
Belt,  Jagrea,  Captain  New  Castle,^  the  Conestoga  In- 
dians and  others.  New  Castle  and  another  Iroquois — 
whom  Governor  Morris,  after  an  interview  at  Carlisle 


'  Heckowcldcr's  MS.  Biography. 
"Captaiti  Now  Castle,  or  Ciisliiowayah,  was  an  Iroquoisji 
t££egts.^fths!^Ei}glish,  and  cmployedas  ji  messenger. 


DAVID   ZEISBERGER. 


243 


the  grace 
Shamokin, 

the  Blue 
ire  of  the 
erts  at  the 
e    Mission 

)  of  such 
id  of  such 
first  four 
's  to  liave 
it  to  vari- 
ird.  The 
'  engaged, 
2d  by  the 
asions  his 
,  and  they 
}  He  did 
^otiations ; 
ibrace  the 
resent  the 

LatPhila.- 
itoris,  The 
lestoga  In- 
Iroquois — 
at  Carlisle 


is  in  the  in- 


with  several  friendly  chiefs,  had  dispatched  to  the  Sus- 
quehanna in  order  to  gain  information  of  the  move- 
ments of  the  savages — reported  the  result  of  their 
journey;  and  Thachnechtoris,  who  had  been  invited  by 
these  messengers  to  consult  with  his  white  brethren, 
assured  the  government  of  the  amicable  disposition 
of  the  ShikolUnn-Jaiiiil^'.^ 

In  April,  Governor  Morris,  with  the  approval  of  his* 
Council,  except  James  Logan,  who  entered  his  protest/ 
on  the  minutes,  formally  declared  war  against  the  Dela-| 
wares  and  Shawancse,  and  offered   large   bounties   for. 
scalps  or  prisoners.     The  Quakers  were  shocked  at  the 
barbarity  of  this  measure,  and,  by  petition    and  other- 
wise, urged  conciliatory  measures.     The  way  for  these, 
unexpectedly  to  the  Governor,  was  opened  by  Sir  Wil- 
liam  Johnson,  who  was  dissatisfied  with  the  measures 
adopted  by  Pennsylvania,  and   expressed   his    surprise 
that  one  Province  should  declare  war  without  consulting 
the  rest.     While  negotiating  with  the  Six  Nations  on 
other  subjects,  this  far-sighted  officer  induced  them  to 
promise  that  they  would  exercise  the  authority  which 
they  claimed  ove''  the  Delawares  and  Shawanese,  andj 
command  them  to  lay  down  the  hatchet.     As  soon  as 
Governor  Morris  was  informed  of  this,  he  called  together 
his  Council,  invited  Bishop  Spangenberg  to  be  present,' 
and  sent  for  Captain  New  Castle,  Jagrea,  and  William 
Lacquis.     A  peace  message  was  prepared,  and  intrusted 
to  New  Castle  and  his  two   associates;  and  Spangen- 


'I, 


■■'*'■<< 


\'-'. 


< .. 


't , 


'-V 


I 


'  Penii.  Col.  Records,  vii.  46,  etc. 


w* 


»l 


N 


4 


II 


*tl^ 


>\^' 
^ 


/ 


«; 


i  4 


244 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


berg  was  solicited  to  send  along  with  them  a  Christian 
Indian  as  a  fourth  envoy.  They  were  to  tell  the  hostile 
^tribes  that  Onas — the  Indian  name  for  the  Governor 
of  Pennsylvania — was  not  averse  to  peace,  provided 
that  they  delivered  to  him  all  their  white  prisoners, 
and  instantly  ceased  from  further  attacks  upon  the 
settlements.' 

At  Bethlehem,  Augustus  Rex  joined  the  envoys,  and 
Zeisberger  escorted  the  party  as  far  as  Fort  Allen  f 
while  the  whole  Church  prayed  that  their  mission 
miffht  be  crowned  with  success.  In  order  to  accom- 
plish  this  end,  the  Governor  suspended,  in  part,  the 
declaration  of  war;  and  published  a  cessation  of  hos- 
tilities for  twenty  days,  as  far  as  the  Susquehanna.'^ 
The  Western  tribes,  however,  were  not  included  in  this 
truce. 

A  few  days  subsequent  to  Zeisberger's  return  from 
Fort  Allen,  he  was  sent  on  a  longer  and  more  peril- 
ous journey.  The  Moravians  had  begun  a  settlement 
in  western  North  Carolina,  on  a  large  tract  of  land 
purchased  from  the  Earl  of  Granville.*  Thither  Zeis- 
berger took  his  way,  the  bearer  of  letters  to  the  infant 
colony  from  Bishop  Spangenberg  and  other  elders. 
After  an  absence  of  two  months,  he  came  back  to 
Bethlehem  in  safety,  on  the  thirteenth  of  July. 


1  Penn.  Col.  Records,  vii.  107,  etc.      » Ibid.,  vii.  118.      » Ibid.,  vii.  134. 

(  *  This  tract  embraced  98,985  acres,  and  was  called  "Wachovia," 
J  after   a  valley  in   Austria,  formerly  in  possession  of  the  Zinzcndort' 

I  family.  It  lay  in  the  present  Forsyth  County.  Bethabara,  the  first 
jj,own,  was  founded  in  1763. 


DAVID   ZEISBEROER. 


245 


a  Christian 
the  hostile 
3  Governor 
e,  provided 
}  prisoners, 
upon    the 

envoys,  and 
lort  Allen  ;2 
eir  mission 
r  to  accom- 
in  part,  the 
tiou  of  hos- 
isquehanna.* 
luded  in  this 

return  from 
more  peril- 
a  settlement 
tract  of  land 
Thither  Zeis- 
to  the  infant 
other  elders, 
ame  back  to 
ruly. 


3Ibid.,vii.  134. 
2d  "Wachovia," 
f  the  Zinzcndort' 
thabara,  the  first 


His  arrival  was  opportune.  New  Castle  and  hie 
fellow-envoys  had  fulfilled  their  mission  ;  had  re- 
ported to  the  Governor  a  favorable  answer  from  the 
Susquehanna  Indians;  and  had  visited  them  a  second 
time  to  invite  them  to  a  treaty.  And  now  Tadeuskund 
and  some  of  his  warriors  reached  Bethlehem,  on  their 
way  to  the  treaty  which  was  to  take  place  at  Easton. 
Zeisberger  failed  not  to  be  there ;  and,  during  the  six 
days  of  the  negotiations,  moved  about  among  the 
Indians  with  the  words  of  eternal  life  upon  his 
lips. 

For    these    words    Tadeuskund    had    wj    ear.      He 
conceived  himself  to  be  a  great  man ;   strutted  with 
assumed    authority  ;    pompously    proclaimed    that    he"" 
appeared   in  the   name   of  ten   nations — meaning   the/ 
Iroquois   and  four    tribes    on   the    Susquehanna  —  andl 
that  the   Delawares  were  no   longer  women,  but  had!  '  vA'*-,' tx^<j<3 
been  made  men  again.'     The  Colonial  authorities  bore  (^.-y^ij,^  c4 
Avith    his    arrogance.      Preliminaries    of    peace    were      ^7^,  ,'" 
arranged,   and    another    treaty   was    appointed    to    be     '    .,^  ^ 
held  in  November. 

True  to  this  appointment,  Tadeuskund  presented 
himself  at  the  designated  time,  with  a  small  escort, 
and  was  received  by  Governor  Denny,  who  had  super- 


e(  "^ 


1  This  assertion  of  Tadeuskund  probably  refers  to  what  Zeisberger  \ 
relates  in  his  MS.   History  of  the  Indians:  that  in  the  Indian  and/ 
French  War  the  Six  Nations  told  the  Delawares  their  petticoat  should  \. 
be  shortened,  so  as  to  reach  only  to  their  knees ;  and  that  they  should 
again  receive  a  hatchet  to  defend  themselves.     This,  no  doubt,  was  u 
message  from  the  Senccas,  who  at  first  took  part  in  the  war  againstj 
the  Colonies,  and  not  from  the  whole  Iroquois  League.  ;^ 


•''"•'>A,tV 


i 


'   I 


I 


0    A; 


iH 


A'-' 


^^' 


246 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


seded  Morris.  Zeisberger  was  again  present,  accom- 
Tpanied  by  the  whole  male  part  of  the  Indian  Congrega- 
"Ition  at  Bethlehem.  After  nine  days  of  speeches  and 
deliberations,  the  business  was  iinished  satisfactorily  to 
all  parties,  and,  in  conclusion,  the  Governor  solemnly 
said,  "Peace  is  now  settled  between  us,  by  the  assist- 
ance of  the  Most  High."'  Further  negotiations  were  to 
take  plate  in  spring,  at  a  third  treaty;  and  Lancaster 
was  designated  as  the  place  of  meeting. 

But    these    paciiications   included    the    Susquehanna 
Indians   only.      The   warriors   of  the   West   still   con- 
tinued their  ravages  along  the  frontiers,  and  the  war 
;:was  not  at  an  end.     That  the  border-men  had  learned 
to   retaliate  with   the   tactics  of  the  savages,  was   tri- 
jumphantly  shown   by   a  sudden    assault,  planned  and 
carried   out   by  Armstrong,   upon   Kittanning,  on   the 
(  Alleghany.     There  was  wailing  in  the  wigwams  of  the 
I  Western  Delawares  when    the    news   of   this    exploit 
'  reached  them. 

On  his  road  to  the  treaties  at  Easton,  Tadeuskund 
was  accustomed  to  stop  at  Bethlehem,  where  his  in- 
fluence upon  the  converts  was  of  the  worst  kind.  But 
it  was  not  until  negotiations  at  Lancaster  began  that 
all  the  evil  intentions  of  his  heart  became  manifest. 
Among  the  minutes  which  George  Croghan,  the 
deputy  of  Sir  Willia«i  Johnson,  laid  before  the 
Governor,  was  a  message  received  from  Tadeuskund 
to  this  effect:  "Brothers,  there  is  one  thing  that  gives 


'  Penn.  Col.  Records,  vii.  313-338. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


247 


nit,  accom- 
1  Congrega- 
•eeclies  and 
sfactorily  to 
31'  solemnly 
J  the  assist- 
ious  were  to 
d  Lancaster 

Jusquelianna 
at  still  con- 
ind  the  war 
had  learned 
^es,  was  tri- 
planned  and 
ling,  on  the 
;wams  of  the 
this    exploit 

Tadeuskund 
^^here  his  in- 
5t  kind.  But 
r  began  that 
,me  manifest. 
Jroghan,  the 
before  the 
,  Tadeuskund 
mg  that  gives 


us  a  great  deal  of  concern,  which  is,  our  flesh  and  blood 
that  live  among  you  at  Bethlehem,  and  in  the  Jerseys, 
being  kept  as  if  they  were  prisoners.  We  formerly 
applied  to  the  minister  at  Bethlehem,*  to  let  our  people 
come  back  at  times  and  hunt,  which  is  the  chief  in- 
dustry we  follow  to  maintain  our  families;  but  thatv^, 
minister  has  not  listened  to  what  we  have  said  to  him, 
and  it  is  very  hard  that  our  people  have  not  the  liberty  .  - 
of  coming  back  to  the  woods,  where  game  is  plenty, 
and  to  see  their  friends.  They  have  complained  to  us 
that  they  cannot  hunt  where  they  are,  and,  if  they  go 
into  the  woods  and  cut  down  a  tree,  they  are  abused  for 
it,  notwithstanding  that  very  land  we  look  upon  to  be 
our  own ;  and  we  hope,  brothers,  that  you  will  consider 
this  matter,  and  let  our  people  come  into  the  woods, 
and  visit  their  friends,  and  pass  ajid  repass,  as  brothers 
ought  to  do."^  Thus  did  this  reprobate,  who  well  knew 
the  real  sentiments  of  the  converts,  and  that  they  were 
at  Bethlehem  of  their  own  free  will,  attempt  to  make 
the  government  his  tool  in  destroying  that  holy  work 
which  his  carnal  heart  now  hated.  But  the  government 
paid  no  attention  to  this  message.  The  Mission  Board, 
however,  when  informed  of  it,  recognized  the  neces- 
sity of  providing  a  new  settlement  for  the  Christian 
Indians. 

At  the  treaty  (May,  1757)  which  brought  to  light  this') 
plot  of  tl3£^mg  of  the^daA^aj-ga,  he  failed  to  appear,  r 
although  it  had  been  appointed  at  his  suggestion.     Nev-J 


\^y 


1  Probably  Bishop  Spangenberg  is  meant. 
»  Penn.  Col.  Records,  vii.  516. 


248 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


y'  i^-^ 


^ 


ertheless,  it  proved  an  occasion  of  some  importance  to 
the  British  cause.  A  number  of  Nanticokes  and  Dela- 
wares,  together  with  deputies  from  the  Six  Nations, 
were  present.*  The  latter  advised  the  Governor  to  hold 
another  confereiTce  with  Tadeuskund,  invite  the  chiefs 
fof  the  Shawanese  to  attend,  and  settle  anew  a  definite 
'  peace.  At  the  same  time  they  prepared  the  way  for  the 
reconciliation  of  the  Senecas,  whom  French  intrigues 
I  had  made  the  fiercest  enemies  of  the  Colonies. 

In  the  course  of  the  winter  Zeisberger  was  employed 
as  the  bearer  of  dispatches  from  Bishop  Spangenberg 
to  the  Governor.  These  dispatches  contained  whatever 
intelligence  reached  Bethlehem  of  the  movements  of  the 
savages.  At  the  treaty  at  Lancaster  he  met  with  several 
of  his  personal  friends  among  the  Iroquois  sachems,  who 
begged  him  to  return  to  their  capital.  This  was  impos- 
sible while  the  war  continued. 

Going  back  to  Bethlehem,  he  found  a  new  enterprise 
in  progress.  By  permission  of  the  Colonial  government 
a  site  for  a  Christian  Indian  town  had  been  selected. 


on  land  belonging  to  the  Church.  It  lay  about  two 
miles  from  Bethlehem,  in  Hanover  Township,  Lehigh 
County,  on  what  is  now  known  as  the  Geisinger  farm. 
/The  first  house  was  put  up  on  the  tenth  of  June;  but, 
;  owing  to  the  unsettled  state  of  the  country,  it  was  not 
until  October  of  the  following  year  that  the  chapel  could 
be  dedicated  (October  18,  1768).  This  village  received 
the  name  of  Nain. 


•  Penn.  Col.  Records,  vii.  519-549. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


249 


rtauce  to 
ind  Dela- 
Nations, 
•r  to  hold 
he  chiefs 
1  definite 
y  for  the 
intrigues 

employed 
iigenberg 
whatever 
ats  of  the 
h  several 
ems,  who 
18  impos- 

interprise 
I'ernment 

selected, 
bout  two 
,  Lehigh 
jer  farm, 
me;  but, 
t  was  not 
pel  could 

received 


The   conference,  which  had  been  suggested  by  the^ 
deputies  of  the  Six  Nations,  was  held  in  July,  at  Easton,! 
and  continued  seventeen  days.*     Tadeuskund,  with  one/ 
hundred  and  fifty-nine  Delawares,  Paxnous,  and  other) 
representatives  of  the  Shawanese,  Abraham,  the  Mo-j 
hican,  and  many  Senecas  were  present.     The  King  of| 
the  Delawares  had  not  grown  more  humble.     He  in- 
sisted upon  having  a  piivate  secretary,  like  the  Gov- 
ernor, and  made  many  other  peremptory  demands,  allj 
of  which  were  granted  for  the  sake  of  peace,  and  thej 
articles  previously  agreed  upon  ratified.     On  this  occa- 
sion Zeisberger  did  not  stay  at  Easton,  but  rode  over 
from  Bethlehem  almost  every  day.    He  found,  however, 
only  a  few  Indians  with  whom  he  was  acquainted. 

The  two  years  which  England,  through  her  Colonial 
government  in  Pennsylvania,  had  devoted  to  negotia- 
tions with  her  savage  foe,  were  most  disastrous  in  her 
struggle  with  France.  Tlj£,^Ep4:l,ofLoudoun,  who  had 
been^sent  to  America  as  viceroy,  was  wholly  unfit ^for 
the^^^j^sitiom  Overbearing  to  the  Colonies,  a-  i  pusil- 
lanimous in  the  face  of  the  enemy,  he  tried  to  crush  out 
the  republican  spirit  which  was  rising  among  the  people, 
but  suffered  the  Marquis  de  Montcalm  to  gain,  unhin- 
dered, a  series  of  brilliant  victories.  Oswego  was  taken; 
Fort  William  Henry,  at  the  southern  extremity  of  Lake 
George,  with  a  garrison  of  two  thousand  men,  surren- 
dered; the  whole  basin  of  the  Ohio  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  French;  the  valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  of 


/. 


■■ ',«^.'«» 


^ 


»  Penn.  Col.  Records,  vii.  649-714- 


250 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


ii\\l 


Wl 


-> 


\ 


V 


>^- 


y 


the  Mississippi  submitted  to  the  same  power.  These 
reverses  were  deeply  felt.  Englniid  was  almost  in  a  state 
of  anarcliy.  America  blushed  at  the  incompetency  of 
her  British  leaders,  who  despised  the  brave  provincials, 
but  who  themselves  possessed  neither  the  character  nor 
the  courage  which  the  times  demanded. 
^   In  this  crisis  William  Pitt  re-entered  the  cabinet  and 

(took  the  reins  of  government  (July,  175T).     Loudoun 
was  immediately  recalled  ;  the  conquest  of  Canada  and 

Jof  the  Western  territory  planned;  provincial  soldiers 
were  summoned  to  arms ;  and  Amherst,  Forbes,  Howe, 
and  Wolfe  sent  to  carry  out  these  measures,  under  the 
direction  of  Abercrombie,  as  commander-in-chief.  The 
war  now  assumed  a  new  aspect.  Abcrcromb[e_was  in- 
deed defeated  at  Ticonderoga  by  Montcalm;  but  Louis- 
burg,  ^ri^ntenac  (now  Kingston),  and  Fort  Duquesne 
passed  into  the  possession  of  the  English  as  the  fruits  of 
the  campaign  of  1758.  In  another  quarter,  too,  France 
sustained  a  heavy  loss.  Her  allies  in  the  West,  the 
fierce  warriors  who  had  so  persistently  refused  tgbury 
^he^hatchet,  were  at  last  persuaded  to  send  deputies  to  a 
congress  at  Easton.  It  was  the  fearlessness  of  Frederick 
Post,  who  traveled  through  their  country  as  the  agent 

if  of  the  government,  exposing  himself  to  perils  of  every 

Ikind,  that  accomplished  this  great  work.* 

The  congress  began  on  the  eighth  of  October,  and 


*s 


r     I  Post  undertook  this  mission  in  the  sumnicr  of  1758.     The  journal  of 

this  tour  was  published   in  England  in  1759.     It  is  also  found  in  iho 
J'enn.  Archives,  vol.  iii.  520  to  544.     A  copy  in  MS.  is  in  the  B.  A. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


251 


abinet_and 
Loudoun 

/anada  and 
iial  soldiers 
rbes,  Howe, 
1,  under  the 
chief.  The 
ibiewasin- 
;  but  Louis- 
•t  Duquesne 
the  fruits  of 

too,  France 
e  West,  the 
ised  tg  bury 
deputies  to  a 
of  Frederick 
as  the  agent 
rils  of  every 

Dctober,  and 


Tho journal  of 
so  found  in  iho 
in  the  B.  A. 


(<^tfu 


:•  ir^-^f\jL4^ 


continued  eiarhtoen  days.     Nearly  five  liundred  Indians 
assembled;  among  tiicm  Tadeuskund  and  many  sachems  v-^^ /<*«...,,- 
of  the  Six  Nations.    They  were  met  by  Governor  Denny,    .,^> 
of  Pennsylvania;   Governor  Bernard,  of  New  Jersey;    •    ''"■^ 
George  Croghan,  and  a  num^^er  of  commissioners  and  -J^. 

magistrates.     The  result  was  a  general  pacification,  em- 
bracing all  the  hostile  tribes    except   the^w^htwces.,  vLu-<>/-.<^ 
And  when  Post  visited  the  West  a  second  time,  publish-  ^ 
ing  the  proceedings  of  the  congress,  the  Twightwees  too 
buried_tlie  li%tcjiet.     Tll]sJ^(>u£M^^theJ;Iu^^ 
end. 

On  the  occasion  of  this  treaty,  Zeisberger  met  with 
numerous  friends  among  the  aborigines,  and  had  a  wide 
field  in  which  he  silently  sowed  the  seed  of  the  Word. 
At  Croghan' 8  request  he  afterward  escorted  an  old  Mo-; 
hawk  chief  as  far  as  Schoharie,  and  thence  proceeded', 
to  Pachgatgoch,  where  he  assisted  the  missionaries  in 
preaching  the  Gospel.  He  returned  to  Bethlehem  in 
December. 

About  this  time  Nain  exhibited  indications  of  pros- 
perity such  as  marked  GnadenhUtten  before  the  war. 
Not  a  few  of  the  fugitive  converts  emerged  from  the 
wilderness  and  sought  its  peaceful  cabins.  The  village 
was  enlarged,  and  presented  a  pleasing  appearance.  It 
was  built  in  the  form  of  a  square,  of  which  three  sides 
were  lined  with  dwellings,  and  the  south  side  left  open, 
so  as  to  permit  the  inhabitants  to  fetch  water  from  a  little 
stream  that  flowed  by.  In  the  center  of  the  square  was 
a  well.  The  houses  were  of  sqn  ired  timber,  and  had 
shingle-roofs;  back  of  them  lay  the  gardens.  Besides  the 


252 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


'  K 


L^l 


I 


J- . 


/ 


(chapel  and  school-house,  there  was  a  public  building  for 

iiudigeiit  widowsjjvhom  the  congregation  supported.' 

This  town  was  an  eye-sore  to  Tadeuskund,  who  di«l 

what   he   could   to  mar   its  prosperity,  and   succeeded 

in  enticing  Augustus  Kex  from  its  benign  influences. 

'Frequent  ettbrts  were  made  to  reclaim  Tadeuskund,  but 

all  in  vain.     His  wife,  however,  remained  true  to  her 

baptismal  vows. 

In  August  of  1759,  Zeisberger  undertook  a  second 
journey  to  North  Carolina,  bearing  letters  to  Bishop 
Spangenberg,  who  had  gone  to  cheer  his  isolated 
brethren  at  Betuu,bara.  This  settlement  had  become  a 
green  spot  in  the  rn'dst  of  a  dreary  wilderness. 

Meantime,  on  the  heights  of  Abraham,  in  the  rear  of 
/Montcalm's  fortifications  at  Quebec,  was  fought  that 
[battle  which  decided  the  future  of  the  Western  World 
I  (September  13th).  Wolfe  and  Montcalm  both  fell ;  but 
\  victory  crowned  the  army  of  Britain  and  gave  her  the 
!  sway  of  the  continent.  Four  days  later,  Quebec  capitu- 
lated, and  the  conquest  of  Canada  became  a  question 
[jnerely  of  time. 

But  the  state  of  the_ColiijQie8_  and _Indian  couiitryjlijj 
not,  as  yet,  admit  of  the  renewal  of  missionjajcy^y/jji^. 
Hence  Zeisberger,  after  his  return  from  the  South  in 
November,  spent  the  winter  at  Christiansbrunn,  and  in 
spring  was  appointed  Superintendent  of  the  Brethren's 
fHouse  at  Litiz  (April,  1760).  In  this  office  he  spent 
]  fifteen  quiet  months,  and  hud  no  intercourse  with  the 


1  Heckewelder's  Report  of  the  Indian  Mission.     MS.  B.  A, 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


253 


)uildiiig  for 

ported.' 

id,  who  did 
succeeded 
influences. 

iskund,  but 

true  to  her 

k  a  second 

to  Bishop 

lis    isoL'ited 

id  become  u 

!SS. 

the  rear  of 
|fought  that 
5tern  World 
'th  fell ;  but 
ave  her  the 
eboc  capitu- 
!  a  question 

coujtit^r^(iid 

)narj^_w;)xk. 
16  South  in 
unn,  and  in 
I  Brethren's 
;e  he  spent 
se  with  the 


«'^-S 


Indians.     At  last,  however,  an  opportunity  offered  to 
visit  them  again. 

On   the   eighth   of  September  (17.60)^  ^Iontreal  and 
all  Canada  had  been  ceded  to  England.    JThe  FrQUfib 

War  was  virtually  at  an  end;    and  in  August,  1761,  a   q 

I.       ... ..        - .  .  ..^  /      J  y 

second    General    Congress    was   held   with    the    Indian  '"~*--^  c •..<;», v- 
tribes  at  Easton,  in   order  to  arrange  the  delivery  of     0 
their  prisoners,  and  renew   the   peace   previously  con-    "      "^vvW 
eluded.      Zeisberger    was    present    at    this    Congress,^ 
laboring    both    as    missionary,   and,    at    the     earnest  V 
request  of  Governor  Hamilton,  as  Government  Inter- 
preter.'      After    nine    days    of    incessant    duties,    he 
returned  to  Litiz,  where  he   remained  until  the  dedi- 
cation of  the  new  "Brethren's  House"  (December  5,'^ 
1761),^  when  he   resigned  his  office   and  proceeded  to  ' 
Bethlehem,  awaiting  the   first  opportunity  to   resume,; 
his  work  among  the  aborigines. 

In    the    six    years  of   war,   he   wrote    an    Iroquois",.  ^'^,  /♦ 
Grammar  and  finished  his  Iroquois -German  Diction-/  /  j    -,  i^ 
ary,  the    materials    for    which    he    had    collected    at]   '.'.  " y' ^ '^ 'X. 
Shamokin  and  Onondaga. 


>  Col.  Records,  viii.  630-654. 

'^  This  house  is  now  tlie  Litiz  Academy  for  Boys,  which,  for  half  a 
century,  was  under  the  superintendence  of  John  Beck,  Esq.,  but  is  at 
present  in  charge  of  Messrs.  Rickert  and  Hepp. 


S.  B.  A. 


I 


254 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER    XIV. 


ZEISBERGER'S  FIRST  LABORS  AFTER  THE  FRENCH  AND 
INDIAN  WARS.— 1762, 1763. 

New  epoch  in  American  history. — Progress  of  civilization. — Traders 
and  hunters. — The  mission-iries. — The  Mission  stations  in  1762. — 
Bishop  Spangonberg  leaves  Anierica. — The  wilderness  in  17G2,  its 
Indian  tribes  and  British  forts. — Zeisberger  at  Wyoming. — Death 
of  the  first  convert. — Post  endeavors  to  draw  Zeisberger  away  from 
the  Cluireh. — The  dissatisfaction  of  the  Indians  with  the  triumph 
of  England. — Pontiac  forms  a  conspiracy. — Zeisberger  at  Weehque- 
tank. — Indian  preacher.?. — Their  doctrines  and  bible. — Papunhank 
of  Machiwihilusing. — Remarkable  awakening  in  his  town. — Zeis- 
berger hastens  thither. — Death  of  Tadeuskund. — The  Connecticut 
settlers. — Zeisberger  at  Machiwihilusing. — Appointed  resident  mis- 
sionary.— Papunhank  baptized. — Zeisberger  recalled  on  account  of 
the  war. 


/   In  the  year  in  which  preliminaries  of  peace  between 
^England  and  France  were  signed  (November  3,  1762), 
IZeisberger  began  again  to  preach  to  the  Indians. 

It  was  the  dawn  of  a  new  epoch  for  America  and 
the  world.  England  had  been  victorious  both  in  the 
East  and  the  West.  The  riches  of  India  were  poured 
out  at  her  feet ;  America  was  hers,  from  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  to  the  ice-fields  of  the  Arctic  lands.  "  To 
England  were  ceded,"  says  Bancroft,  *'  besides  islands 
in  the  West  Indies,  the  Floridas,  Louisiana  to  the 
Mississippi,  but  without  the  island  of  New  Orleans ; 
all  Canada;  Acadia;  Cape  Breton,  and  its  dependent 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


256 


INCH  AND 


ation. — Traders 
ions  in  1762. — 
OSS  in  1762,  its 
roming. — Death 
rger  away  from 
Lh  the  triumph 
er  at  Wcchque- 
ic. — Papunhank 
lis  town. — Zeis- 
'ho  Connecticut 
d  resident  mis- 
on  aecount  of 


ace  between 
ber  3,  1762), 
Hans. 
\.merica  and 

both  in  the 
were  poured 

the  Gulf  of 
lands.  "  To 
ssides  islands 
siana  to  the 
evv  Orleans ; 
ts  dependent 


islands."  A  continent,  abounding  in  natural  resources 
of  almost  every  kind,  and  with  a  soil  adapted  to  the 
productions  of  nearly  every  clime,  opened  to  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  race,  the  English  tongue,  and  the  Protestant 
religion.  Thui,  God  prepared  the^jVQiX^rjL-n^lioii^^^^ 
developjii^jit_jiiipju;:aJ[I,elad  The    British 

Colonies  in  America  were  to  become  the  United 
States  of  America.  A  great  republic  was  to  assume 
its  place  among  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth. 

Sixteen  years  had_^ela£sed  since  Zeisbergerjirst^trar- 
vgrsed  the^Anierican  Jbrests  in^search  of  their  roving 
tribes^  During  this  period  white  settlers  had  been 
advancing  westward  with  slow  but  sure  steps.  The 
wilderness  was  dotted  with  flourishing  settlements. 
There  were  isolated  homesteads  almost  to  the  foot  of 
the  Alleghauies.  The  war  had,  indeed,  put  a  stop  to 
such  progress;  but  no  sooner  did  peace  once  more  smile 
upon  the  land  than  the  sturdy  strokes  of  the  back- 
woodsman's axe  were  again  heard  in  the  forest,  as  he 
came  to  clear  his  plantations  and  build  his  cabins. 

Iti^  advance  of  him  were  the  traders  and  hunters.'^ 
They  formed  a  class  of  their  own ;  bold,  courageous, 
and  with  a  sagacity  almost  equal  to  that  of  the  Indians,  [ 
but  unscrupulous  and  dishonest,  of  degraded  morals, 
intent  upon  their  own  advantage,  and  indifferent  to  thej 
rights  of  the  natives. 

Pioneers  like  them,  yet  of  a  character  and  with  pur- 
poses altogether  different — disinterested,  inured  to  hard- 
ships, undismayed  by  dangers,  yearning  to  convert  and' 
civilize  the  savages,  in  all  they  said  and  did  "  constrained. 


M 


<,^ 


-rr* 


II 


^U^^Si 


256 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


ht  . 


f.'i'^l 


T 


y 


(by  the  love  of  Christ" — were  the  missionaries,  who  wei- 
^  y  icomed  the  return  of  peace  with  that  joy  which  he  alone 
•^     can  appreciate  who  knows  what  it  is  to  "save  a  soul 
from  death." 

The  only  stations  that  remained  to  the  Church,  at  the 
close  of  the  war,  were  Nain;  Wechquetank,  a  new  place, 
begun  in  April,  1760,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Blue 
Mountains,  iu  the  present  Monroe  County,  by  those  con- 
verts who  had  been  quartered  at  Gnadentlial;'  and  Pach- 
gatgoch,  where,  however,  the  cause  languished,  owing 
to  the  rapid  decrease  of  the  natives.  Besides  these  sta- 
tions, Frederick  Post,  independently  of  the  Board,  was 
trying  to  establish  a  Mission  in  Ohio,  near  the  site  of  the 
present  Town  of  Bolivar,  on  the  Tuscarawas  River,  and 
with  him  was  associated  young  John  Heckewelder.^ 

About  this  time  Bishop  Spangenberg,  the  President 
of  the  Mission  Board,  resigned  his  office  and  sailed 
to  Europe  (July  1,  1762),  in  order  to  take  his  seat  in 
that  Directory  of  bishops  and  elders  which  governed 
the  Unitas  Fratrum  after  the  death  of  Count  Zinzendorf 
(May  9,  1760).  He  was  succeeded  by  Bishop  Nathaniel 
Seidel,  whose  assistants  were  Bishop  Boehler  and  Fred- 
erick de  Marshall.' 


i'^\^ 


1  Wechquetank  Ir.y  in  Polk  Township,  Monroe  County,  Pennsylva- 
nia, between  the  Wechquetank  and  Heads  Creeks.     For  this  informa- 
tion I  am  indebted  to  Abraham  Huebcner,  M.D.,  of  Bethlehem. 
/     '■*  Born  at  Bedford,  England,  March  12,  1742.     A  distinguished  mis- 
1  fiionary,  whoso  labors  are  identiiled  with  our  history,  as  the  sequel  will 
1  show. 

»  Born  Feb.  5, 1'21,  in  the  garrison-tow  u of  Stolpen,  Saxony,  of  which 
his  father,  Baron  G.  E,  do  Marshall,  was  commandant.     Ho  received  a 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


257 


es,  who  wei- 
ich  he  alone 
'save  a  soul 

mrch,  at  the 
a  new  place, 
of  the  Blue 
)y  those  con- 
.  ;^  and  Pach- 
ished,  owing 
les  these  sta- 
!  Board,  was 
ae  site  of  the 
IS  River,  and 
iwelder.^ 
he  President 
e  and  sailed 
3  his  seat  in 
ch  governed 
it  Zinzendorf 
op  Nathaniel 
ler  and  Fred- 


inty,  Pcnnsylva- 
or  this  informa- 
cthlchem. 
stinguishcd  mis- 
,s  the  sequel  will 

Saxony,  of  which 
,     He  received  a 


n. 


The  wilderness,  to  which  the  Church  again   turned  \ 
her   attention,  ofiered  te    the   Indian  tribes   the    same/ 
forest-homes  and  broad  hunting-grounds,  as  before  the 
war.      Some   changes,    indeed,   had   taken   place.      At' 
Shamokiu  and  Wyoming  was  found  only  a  remnant  of  i 
natives;    thc^_l)cliiw^rej»   ami  Mohicaiis,  on  the  North 
Branch  of  the  Susquehanna,  had  dwindled  away  to  in-' 
significant   clans;    and  tU£.,..ShavYjanese   had  all  retired^)' 
to  the  Muskingum  and  the  Scioto.      But  beyond  the 
mountains,  on  the  Alleghany,  and  farther  west,  on  the 
Beaver  Creeks  and  the  Muskingum  River,  the  Dela- 
wares  wore   still  domiciliated;   and  in  New  York  the 
Jroguois  held  undisputed   possession   of  their   ancient 
seats ;    and  the  great  Northwest  continued  to  shelter 
the  Ottawas  and  Ojibwas,  the  Potawatomies  and^many 
ot]K>rAl^onc[uin  tribes ;  while  along  the  Mississippi,  in 
the  ]  'esent  State  which  bears  their  name,  were  scat-    :^-- 
tered.   is  of  old,  tlie_yillages^  the  dissolute  Illinjiis. 

The  ar  had  brought  into  existence  numerous  forts 
and  military  posts.  Besides  those  in  New  York,  among 
which  Forts  Stanwix  on  the  Mohawk,  and  Brewerton 
at  the  western  end  of  Lake  Oneida,  deserve  to  be  par- 
ticularly mentioned,  there  were,  in  Maryland,  Fort 
Cumberland,  and  in  Pennsylvania,  nearest  to  the  settle- 
ments. Fort  Allen  at  Gnadeuhlitten,  Augusta  at  Sharao- 


'V< 


■w^ 


-^•t  \  I.  ,t 


t-W 


strict  military  education.  At  Bethlehem,  his  office  was  that  of  "Gen- 
eral Warden."  Subsequently  he  stood  at  the  head  of  the  Southern 
Di.^trict  of  till'  American  Church,  and  died  at  Salem,  N.  C,  in  1802, 
aged  eighty-one  years. 

n 


258 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


'iiil  '- 


\   i 


kin,  and  Bedford  on  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  the 
same  name.  This  was  the  starting-point  of  a  road  to  the 
West.  Another,  laid  out  by  General  Braddock,  passed 
from  Cumberland  across  tlie  mountains.  On  the  former, 
about  forty-five  miles  from  Bedford,  stood  Fort  Ligo- 
nier;  and  about  fifty-five  miles  farther  on,  rose  the 
brick-faced  ramparts  of  Fort  Pitt,  a  strong  post  con- 
structed, in  1759,  by  General  Stanwix,  on  the  ruins 
of  Fort  Duquesne.  Here  the  Western  road  stopped. 
North  of  Fort  Pitt,  at  the  junction  of  French  Creek 
with  the  Alleghany  River,  appeared  Fort  Venango; 
still  farther  north,  on  French  Creek,  Le  Boeuf,  and  on 
the  site  of  the  present  City  of  Erie,  Presque  Isle.  All 
these  works  belonged  to  the  English,  who  had  either 
built  or  captured  them. 

More  remote  forts  were  Sandusky,  on  Lake  Erie ; 
Detroit ;  Miami,  on  the  Maumee  River,  near  the  present 
Fort  Wayne  in  Indiana  ;  Ouatanon,  just  below  Lafay- 
ette, in  the  same  State ;  Vincenucs,  on  the  Wabash 
River;  Michilimackinac,  on  the  Straits  of  Mackinaw; 
La  Baye,  on  the  site  of  Green  Bay,  in  Wisconsin ;  St. 
Josephs,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  of  the  same  name,  on 
Lake  Michigan  ;  and  Chartres,  ou  the  Mississippi  above 
Kaskaskia,  in  Illinois. 

These  posts — of  which  possession  had  been  taken, 
immediately  after  the  capitulation  of  Canada,  by^Major 
Rogers^  with  two  hundred  rangers — were  important  not 
only  in  a  military  point  of  view,  but  likewise  as  the 
nuclei  of  future  settlements.  Ax  some  of  them  such 
settlements  already  existed.     Detroit  was jthQ  .Jiomii^f 


^VlvI^'i^.^frvN^^'"''-^   j1^^:',*.v..^a* 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


259 


;  town  of  the 
a  I'oad  to  the 
dock,  passed 

II  the  fomier, 
1  Fort  Ligo- 
011,  rose  the 
ig  post  coii- 

III  the  ruins 
■oad  stopped, 
rcnch  Creek 
rt  Venango ; 
Boeuf,  and  on 
ue  Isle.  All 
10  had  either 

.  Lake  Erie ; 
ar  the  present 
below  Lafay- 
the  Wabash 
f  Mackinaw; 
/"isconsin ;  St. 
ame  name,  on 
isissippi  above 

1  been  taken, 
ada,  by  Jrlajor 
important  not 
cewiso  as  the 
of  them  such 
Jhe  homfi-^f 


numerous^ traders^nd  Canadians  ;  and  Chartres  formed^ 
the  capital  of  a  colony  of  two  thousand   soub,  immi-j 
grants   from    Canada   and    disbanded   French   soldiersj 
besides  nine  hundred  negro  skives.     These  settlers  had 
founded   Kaskaskia,  St.   Genevieve,  and    Cahokla,  and 
built  their  huts  around  Forts  Chartres  and  Vincennes. 

Zeisberger  paid  his  first  visit  to  the  Indian  country  in^ 
the  capacity  of  an  envoy,  on  the  part  of  Sir  WilliamJ 
Johnson  and  Governor  Hamilton,  to  Tadouskund.*     On 
the   sixteenth   of    March,  he    left   Christiansbrunn   on 
horseback,  and  by  nightfall  reached  the  north  foot  of 
the  Blue  Mountains,  where  he  found  a  large  encamp- 
ment of  Delawares   and    Nantico,kes.      His   heart  was 
strangely  stirred  as  he  sat  again  by  a  camp-tire  in  the 
wilderness,  with  members  of  that  race  around  him,  to 
convert  which  was  the  exalted  mission  of  his  life.     Six 
years,  spent  away  from  the  Indians,  had  made  him  only^ 
the  more  eager  to  do  them  good. 

The   next  morning   he   proceeded    on    his   journey,! 
taking  with  him  one  of  the  Delawares  as  a  guide,  for  theV 
whole  country  was  covered  with  a  deep  snow.     Afterj 
three  days  of  hard   and   perilous  riding  in  forests  ob- 
structed by  great  drifts,  through  snow-banks  from  Which 
it  was  almost  impossible  to  extricate  the  horses,  and  in 
"weather,"  says  Zeisberger,  "the  severest  I  ever  knew,'"^ 
he  arrived   at  the  lodge  of  Tadeuskund.     Having  de- 
livered his  letters,  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  con- 


1  Documentary  Hist,  of  N.  Y.,  iv.  310,  and  letter  from  Zeisberger  to 
Spangenbcrg.     MS.  B.  A. 
■'  Doc.  Hist.  N.y.,  iv.  310. 


260 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


W  n, 


liif 


i^ 


).  -; 


roi 


1 


verts  of  Wyoming.  Tl^ie  most  of  them  had  not  heard 
the  Gofijiel  preaclied  since  the  breaking  out  of  the  war. 
More  than  one  backslider  was  reclaimed,  among  them 
George  Rex,  who,  on  the  occasion  of  a  subsequent 
visit  to  Nain,  was  readmitted  to  the  Church.  On 
the  twentj'-fourth,  Zeisbergor  came  back  to  Bethlehem, 
*uk1  thence  went  to  Philadelphia  with  the  answer  of 
Tadeuskund.^ 

Toward  the    end    of  autumn,  he   visited  Wyoming 
again,  accompanied  by  Gottlob   Senseman.     The  dysen- 
tery was  raging  in  the  valley,  and  many  Indians  were 
prostrated.     Among  these  was  Abraham,  the  first  con- 
j  vert.     He  had  sent   an  urgent  request  to   Bethlehem : 
I  "Brethren,  let  a  teacher  come  to  see  me  ere  I  die!" 
But  the  missionaries  arrived  too  late;  th^jiged^ Mohican 
had  fiiijished Jiis  course.     Yet  not  as  a  reprobate;  he 
had  repented  and  bet^n  forgiven ;    and,  with  his  dying 
]  breath,  had  exhorted  the  Indians  to  remain  faithful  to 
;  Jesus.     In  the  same  spirit  George  Rex  passed  away,  ad- 
I  monishing  his  countrymen  to  avoid  his  evil  example, 
land  professing  a  sure  hope  of  eternal  life.     Zeisberger 
■spent  several  days  in  comforting  the  sick;  and  a  new 
"interest  was  awakened  among  all  the  scattered  converts 
I  of  the  valley.     On  the  day  of  his  departure,  he  called 
I  them  together  to  a  farewell   service,  and  preached   a 
touching  discourse  upon  the  words,   "For  the  Sou  of 
'Man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  is  lost."^ 
''He  reached  Bethlehem  on  the  thirtieth  of  November, 


>  Bethlehem  Diary.  MS.  B.  A. 


2  Luke,  xix.  10. 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


261 


1  not  heard 
of  the  war. 

mong  them 
subsequent 

hurch.  On 
Bethlehem, 

)  answer  of 

d  Wyoming 
The  dysen- 
^ndiaus  were 
he  first  con- 
Bethlehem  : 
ere  I  die !" 
ged^Mohiean 
3probate;  he 
th  his  dying 
in  faithful  to 
!cd  away,  ad- 
ivil  example, 
Zeisberger 
;   and  a  new 
)red  converts 
re,  he  called 
preached   a 
?  the  Son  of 
ich  is  lost.'"' 
f  November, 


bringing  a  petition  to  the  Board  for  a  resident  teacher 
at  "Wyoming. 

At  Bethlehem,  John  Ileckewelderj  who  had  returned 
from  the  Muskinffum.  awaited  him.     He  was  the  bearer 
of  a  message  from   Frederick  Post;   and    delivered  it/ 
in    the   presence    of  Bishop    Seidel.      "  Cast   in   your  T 
lot    with    me,"    said    Post    to    Zeisberger;    "we    will 
go    out    as    independent    evangelists,   establish    God's 
kingdom   among  the  Indians,  and  extend  it  as  far  as_; 
the  Mississippi."     Without  a  moment's  hesitation,  Zeis- 
berger replied :    "  Post   is   free   to   undertake  what   he 
pleases;  I  am  not.     I  belong  wholly  to  the  Church  of 
the    Brethren."^     This  was   a   turning-point    in    Zeis- 
berger's  life.     Had  he  embraced  this  ofter,  severed  hie 
connection  with  the  Moravians,  and  joined  his  friend  in\ 
an  independent  Mission,  he  would  scarcely  have  earnedj 
the  honorable   title  and  the  enduring  fame  which  are! 
accorded  to  his  memory,     ^[o^jwhile  Post  was  a  j;oodJ 
and  zealous  man,  he  was  uji^sta]il^ej^id,.,ei3jlc ;  wandered 
from  the  wilds  of  Ohio  to  the  lagoons  of  Central  America, 
accomplishing  nothing ;  and  finally  withdrew  altogether 
from  missionary  work. 

The  occupation  of  the  military  posts  of  the  West  was,^ 
in  the  highest  degree,  irritating  to  the  Indians.     Their 
"fathers" — the  French — knew  how  to  conciliate  them;^^ 
adapted  themselves  to  their  customs  and   prejudices, 
and  succeeded  in  almost  removing  the  impression  froni^ 
their  minds   that   they  were    being   conquered.      The 


like,  xix.  10. 


1  Hockcwcldcr's  Biogiuphical  Sketch. 


. 


262 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


<En<ilish  had  not  the  faculty  of  winning  their  confidence. 
Moreover,  while  the  straggle  for  supremacy  between 
France  and  England  continued,  the  natives  felt  their 
own  importance,  and  perceived  that  they  held  the 
balance  of  power.  But  as  soon  as  Canada  had  been 
ceded,  and  the  sway  of  England  established,  there 
was   a   great   change   in    their   position.      Sir  William 

fjohnson,  indeed,  still  brightened  the  chain  of  friend- 

xship  which  bound  the  Iroquois  League  to  his  country ; 

[but,  in  the  West,  the  nations  fell  into  insignificance. 
At  the  same  forts  where  the  French  had  treated  them 
with  uniform  kindness  and  urbanity,  the  harsh  man- 
ners of  the  British,  who  despised  them,  formed  a  most 
galling  contrast;  while  the  systematic  dishonesty  of 
the  traders,  and  the  steady  advance  of  the  settlers,  who 
often  usurped  land  which  had  never  been  alienated, 
inflamed  their  proud  spirits  still  more.  There  were 
some  among  them  whose  animosity  struck  deeper  root, 
and  grew  to  be  a  persistent  hatred  of  the  English. 
Such  natives  had  mind  enough  to  understand  the 
true  posture  of  aflairs,  and  felt  that  the  crisis  of  their 
race  had  come;  that  either  a  bold,  united,  and  desperate 
eftbrt  must  be  made  to  extirpate  their  conquerors,  or 
the  doom  of  the  aboriginal  lords  of  the  American  conti- 
nent was  sealed. 

No  one   realized   this    more    keenly   than   Ppntiac, 

-  t?ie   great  chief,  of  the  Ottawg,^^     The  Iroquois,  and 

especially  the  Senecas,  in  spite  of  Sir  William  John- 

'  Bancroft_'s_U.  S.,  V.  iii.;  Zcisbcrgcr's  MS.  History  of  the  Indians; 
Pontiac^sjOonspiratw,  bj^^^arkm^i. 


confidence. 

cy  botwccu 

felt   their 

y  held    the 

I   had  been 

ished,   there 

Sir  William 

1  of  friend- 

lis  country ; 

significance. 

reatcd  them 

harsh  man- 

■med  a  most 

shonesty  of 

settlers,  who 

n  alienated, 

There  were 

deeper  root, 

the  English. 

lerstand  the 

I'isis  of  their 

ul  desperate 

nquerors,  or 

eriean  couti- 

an^PpnUac, 
roquois,  and 
illiara  John- 

if  the  Indians; 


'  ^ ^  ^n   -_ 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


263 


efibrts,  liad,  for  two  years,  been  looking  "> 


son  8  unccasn 

with  extreme  aistrust  upon  rne  progress  oi  ine  lirmsn  i 
flaff,  and  had  incited  the  Dehiwares  and  Shawanese  to 
take  nj)Jhe  hatchet;  and  the  Delawares  and  Shawanese! 
had  again  stirred  up  the  tribes  of  the  West,  with  the( 
note  of  alarm,  "  The  English  mean  to  make  slaves  op 
us,  by  occupying  so  many  posts  in  our  country !"  But 
it  is  not  likely  that  a  well-concerted,  general  rising  of 
the  natives  would  have  occurred  had  it  not  been  for 
Pontiac.  He  was  the  head  of  a  confederacy  which 
embraced  his  own  tribe  and  the  Ojibwas  and  Pota- 
watomies,  but  exercised,  also,  undisputed  and  supreme 
influence  throughout  the  Northwest,  being  "the  king 
and  lord  of  all  that  country,"  as  Rogers  called  him. 
Endowed  with  natural  qualifications  of  a  high  order, 
born  to  rule,  brave,  far-sighted,  a  wild  statesman,  and 
a  savage  hero,  he  organized  and  upheld  that  conspiracy 
which  has  made  his  name  famous,  which  had  for  its 
aim  the  expulsion  of  the  English  from  the  American 
continent,  which  inflicted  severe  injury  upon  the  Colo- 
nies, and  which  might  have  been  successful  had  France, 
as  he  hoped,  lent  her  aid. 

As  the  year  1762  drew  to  a  close,  Pontiac  sent 
out  his  ambassadors.  They  passed  through  the  entire 
West  to  the  many  tribes  that  hunted  there ;  they  pro- 
ceeded far  down  the  Mississippi,  almost  to  its  mouth ; 
they  everywhere  displayed  the  broad  war-belt  of  the 
chief,  and  rehearsed  his  words  of  fiery  eloquence,  call- 
ing upon  all  red  men  to  save  the  race  to  which  they 
belonged  from  slavery  and  ruin.     A  chief  of  the  Abana- 


264 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


.■)     ' 


i^^ 


<A 


I.    kis,  who  gave  out  that  lie  was  possessed  of  a  prophotio 

*      spirit,  and  that  the  Groat  Manituu  coiumanded  the  ex- 

'tirpation  of  the  English,  etll'ctually  seconded  Pontiac's 

sche/iie,   until   nearly   the   whole  Algonquin    stock  of 

j  Indians,  tii^LSjliUii^'^ts,  several  trihes  of  the  lower  Afis- 

sissippi,  and  the  Se,    cas,  were  handed  in  a  eonspiiacy. 

WiUi_JJiiL-juhdmACS8  for  .which  ,llie,4d).oni^\es^arc 
noted,  _tlii8wide-sprea(l^  plot  was  kept  a  secret.  In 
February  of  the  new  year,  when  the  j)eace  of  Paris 
had  been  ratified  (February  10,  1703),  which  gave  a 
continent  to  England,  not  one  of  her  Colonial  olUccn-s 
suspected  that,  in  all  the  villages  of  the  West,  the 
savages  were  silently  preparing  to  wrench  that  conti- 

Snent  from  her  grasp.  On  the  twenty-seventh  of  April, 
jPontiac  con^vene^d^^  ..j30uncil  on  the  bank  of  the 
Ecorces,  a  small  stream  not  far  from  Detroit.  Rep- 
resentatives of  many  tribes  were  present ;  and.  their 
deep  ejaculations  of  assent  to  the  chief's  impetuous 
speech  showed  that  they  were  terribly  in  earnest.  First 
Detroit,  next  the  other  posts  and  forts — the  garrisons 
of  which  severally  numbered  a  mere  handful  of  men — 
were  to  be  captured,  and  then  desolation,  with  bloody 
strides,  was  to  take  its  way  to  the  settlements. 

On  the  day  of  this  council,  Zeisberger  was  descending 
\     [the  Blue  Mountains  from  Wechquetauk,  where  he  had 

id  Nain  both  flourished; 

storm  was  rising  which 

would  burst  with  such   fury  as   almost   to   de^^troy,  a 

second  time,  the  work  of  the  Gospel  among  the  natives. 

To  the  encouraging  signs,  which  excited  the  hopes 


Av    C  ,.vlj  been  visiting.    Wechquetauk  ai 
-^        Jl         jand  he  little  suspected  that  a 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


205 


ided  the  ex- 
id  To'itiac's 
n  stock  of 
lower  Mis- 
jonspiiaey. 

^L'iijii?'^  are 
secret.  In 
ce  of  Paris 
lieh  gave  a 
•nial  officers 
:  West,  the 
that  conti- 
th  of  April, 
ink  of  the 
troit.  Ilep- 
;  and.  their 
3  inipetuoiis 
•nest.  First 
lie  garrisons 
ul  of  men — 
with  bloody 
Is. 

I  descending 
here  he  had 
1  flourished; 
ising  which 
1  destroy,  a 
the  natives. 
1  the  hopes 


of  the  Board,  eminently  belonged  a  remarkable  awak- 
ening at  Machiwihilusing,  the  seat  of  an  Indian 
preacher,  named  Papunhank. 

Preacher-*  arose   among  the  Indians  after  the  intro-  j 
duction    of  the    Gospel     through    the    agency  of  the  ^ 
Moravians  ;   and  seem   to  have  l)e longed  especially  to 
the  Delawares.     Perhaps  their  appearance  nuiy  be  fixecl] 
about  the  year  1750.      Different  from   the^ow^vowB 
and  sorcerers,  whom  the  natives  had  always  had,  they 
constituted  a  distinct  class,  assuming  the  character  both  .  >^ 
of  prophets  and  teachers.      As  prophets,  they  claimed 
to   receive   revelations    from   the    Gi-eat   Spirit,   to   be 
translated  into  heaven,  and  to  see  him  face  to  face.     As  j 
teachers,  they  made   known  the  existence  of  a  Son  of 
Manitou,  of  a  devil,  and  a  hell.     Their  journeys  to  the  , 
upper  regions,  they   said,  were   always   perilous ;   but  , 
by  them  they  learned  to  know  the  road.      This  they/ 
depicted  upon  tanned  deer-hides,  as  the  Indian's  path  ' 
to  heaven;  also  another  and  more  circuitous  way,  in-  ; 
tended   for   the   white   people ;    likewise    God's   abode, 
and   hell,  together  with  a  pair  of  scales,  symbolizing  i 
the  dishonesty  of  the  white  man.     With   these   hides, 
which  were  meant  to  take  the  place  of  the  Bible,  they  '; 
appeared  before  their  people,  expounded   the  meaning  ' 
of  the  figures,  and  set  forth  the  conditions  of  salvation. ) 
Whoever  would  be  saved,  must  purge  out  his  sins  with' 
emetics   of   twelve   varieties,  or    beat   them    out  with) 
twelve  rods,  each  of  a  different  species  of  wood,  begin- 
ning at  the   feet   and   proceeding   upward,  castigating 
himself  until  all  his  iniquities  suddenly  issued  from  his 


^ 


\ 


%^ 


i     'T,  M 


■I 


it; 


If^ 


t  ? 


:]    \ 


-i 


Wl 


266 


L/Fi?  >lA^/>    TIMES  OF 


/neck;  he  must  besides  practice  morality,  avoiding 
especially  the  lusts  of  the  ilesh,  murder,  and  theft. 

It  is  evident  that  this  singular  manifestation  was  an 
attempt  to  counteract  the  influence  of  the  missionaries, 
and  to  incite  the  Indians  against  the  white  race.  The 
ideas  of  a  Bible,  of  Satan,  of  hell,  and  particularly  of  the 
Son  of  God,  were  all  borrowed  from  the  Gospel.  Far- 
sighted  natives  felt  that  they  needed  more  than  their 
barren  creed  of  a  Great  Spirit,  of  manitous,  and  elysian 
hunting-grounds,  at  a  time  when  the  power  of  the 
Divine  Word  was  captivating  so  many  hearts.  Hence 
this  eftbrt  to  show  that  the  work  of  the  white  teachers 
was  one  of  supererogation  ;  that  the  Indians  had  the 
same  and  even  better  knowledge ;  and  that  their  road 
to  eternal  happiness  was  the  shorter. 

Some  of  these  preachers  used  every  means  to  prevent 
the  influence  which  the  doctrine  of  a  crucified  Saviour 
has  ever  had  upon  the  heathen.  They  derided  it  in  va- 
rious ways.  The  Son  of  God,  they  said,  whom  they  saw 
'■  in  heaven,  had  no  wounds,  yet  they  found  a  place  in 
his  side,  referring  to  the  piercing  of  Christ's  side,  and 
whenever  they  came  to  him  he  gave  them  a  piece  of 
bread  to  eat  as  white  as  snow,  alludino;  to  the  wafer  used 
in  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper.     One  of  them, 

;  on  a  certain  occasion,  having  prepared  a  beverage  of  the 
juice  of  whortleberries,  held  up  a  cupful  and  exclaimed, 
"  See,  this  is  the  blood  of  the  Son  of  God  !" 

The  morality  which  they  taught  they  failed  to  prac- 
tice. To  their  example  was  owing  the  spread  of 
polygamy,  which  they  defended  in  their  own  case  by 


///Jl*. 


-^. 


UM4-lPri    t^ 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


207 


y,   avoiding 
theft. 

tion  wag  an 
missionaries. 


nice.     Tlio 


iilarlv  of  the 
ospcl.  Far- 
!  than  their 
and  clysian 
wcr  of  the 
irts.  Hence 
lite  teachers 
ans  had  the 
,t  their  road 

[IS  to  prevent 
ificd  Saviour 
ded  it  in  va- 
lom  they  saw 
d  a  place  in 
3t's  side,  and 
n  a  piece  of 
le  wafer  used 
])ne  of  them, 
verage  of  the 
id  exclaimed, 

liled  to  prac- 
e  spread  of 
own  case  by 


asserting  that  a  union  with  friends  of  the  Great  Spirit,") 
such  as  they  were,  would  further  the  salvation  of  the 
women  concerned ;  that  for  them  to  marry  several  wivesj 
was  therefore  a  work  of  mercy.* 

Tliesepreachers  llourislied  tm-  about  Uiirtj  years.  At 
tirst  their  success  was  great.  But  when  thoy  began  to 
predict  future  events,  which  never  came  to  pass,  and 
when  Zcisbergcr  had  either  silenced  or  brought  into  the 
Christian  Church  some  of  the  most  noted,  they  passed 
away. 

Eminent  among  thcuL  was  rapiinhank,  ^f_Machhyi- 
hihising.     But  God  was  using  hira  for  His  own  holy 
purposes.     He  overruled  the  man's  discourses  upon  mo- 
rality to  the  real  awakening  of  his  tribe,  so  that  theyf 
began  to  seek  the  way  of  life,  and  sent  to  Bethlehemj 
for  a  teacher. 

To  this  call  Zeisberger  and  Anthony,  a  Delaware  con- 
vert,'^ eagerly  responded.  Leaving  Wechquetank  on  the 
sixteenth  of  May,  they  traveled  afoot  in  a  course  north- 
west, with  the  intention  of  striking  the  trail  from  the 
Minnisinks  to  Wyoming.  This  they  succeeded  in  doing 
after  two  days  of  fearful  hardships,  amid  drenching  rain, 
in  the  pathless  forests  and  swamps  of  the  Broad  Mount- 
ain, where,  guided  by  a  pocket-compass,  they  crept  for 


1  This  account,  of  the  Indian  preachers  is  hascd  upon  Zcisbcrger's  MS 
History  of  the  Indians. 

^Baptized  by  CanimprhofT,  Fob.  8,  1750,  at  Bethlehem.      Ho  came'*,  f\^ 
from  Tunkhannock,  and  was  for  many  years  a  faithful  native  assistant, 
one  of  the  most  brilliant  illustrations  of  the  power  of  the  Gospel  among 
the  Indians.     Nature  had  made  him  an  orator,  and  grace  sanctified  his 
eloquence. 


^m 


*mi 


!■ 


268 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


M 


.-  !S 


.C^ 


K' 


M 


miles  on  hands  and  feet  beneath  and  between  laurel- 
bushes,  the  tangled  mazes  of  which  rendered  walking 
impossible.  At  Wyoming  they  preached  to  the  few- 
natives  who  were  still  in  the  valley. 

Among  these  Tudeuskund  no  longer  had  a  place. 
One  night  in  early  spring,  while  lying  intoxicated  in  his 
^odge,  it  was  set  on  fire  and  he  perished  in  the  iianies. 
This  was,  no  doubt,  tlie  cruel  work  of  Iroquois  warriors, 
whom  he  had  offended  by  his  proud  bearing  at  the  Colo- 
nial treaties.  Ignoble  end  of  the  King  of  the  Dela- 
wares !  Miserable  fate  of  the  apostate  Gideon  I  Ilis 
countrymen  and  the  missionaries  both  mourned  for  him, 
but  from  dili'erent  motives.  The  former  had  lost  their 
great  chief;  the  I'ltter  could  not  forget  tliat  he  had  re- 
mained recreant  to  his  baptismal  vows,  and  crucified  the 
Son  of  God  afresh. 

Zelsbcrger  paid  a  short  visit  to  the  Connecticut 
settlers  who  lived  in  "Wyoming,  the  first  white  men, 
other  than  Moravian  missionaries,  that  there  established 
themselves,  and  found  several  houses  erected  at  the 
mouth  of  Mill  Creek,  others  a  short  distance  below  the 
present  site  of  Wilkesbarre.^  It  was  a  settlement 
which  not  only  incensed  the  Indians  and  formed  one 
of  the  causes  of  the  Pontiac  Conspiracy,  but  which  gave 
rise  to  that  disgraceful  episode  in  Colonial  history  known 
as  the  Pennamite  and  Yankee  War.  Both  Connecticut 
and  Pennsylvania  claimed  Wyc<ming,  so  that,  in  course 
of  time,  settlers  from  these  two  Provinces  were  arrayed 


I  T, 


'carce's  Annuls  of  Liizerno  County. 


i!i 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


269 


etween  laurel- 
lered  walking 
d   to   the   few 

had  a  pLace. 
)xicated  in  his 

ill  the  flames, 
luois  warriors, 
ig  at  the  Colo- 

of  the  Dela- 
Gideoii  I  His 
urned  for  him, 
had  lost  their 
hat  he  had  re- 
d  crucified  tlie 

3  Connecticut 
5t  white  men, 
jrc  estahlished 
rected  at  the 
ice  helow  the 

a  settlement 
d  formed  one 
ut  which  gave 
liistory  known 
li  Connecticut 
hat,  in  course 

were  arrayed 


one  against  the  other  with  arms  in  their  hands,     This^ 
strife  continued  for  thirty  years,     Zeisberger  found  only 
six  colonists,  but  more  were  on  their  way,  and,  in  the 
course  of  the  year,  their  number  increased  to  one  hun 
dred  and  seventeen  souls.* 

In  tlic  evening  of  the  twenty-third  of  May,  Zeisberg<2r 
and  his  conipunion  reached  Machiwihiiusing.  Papun- 
hank  received  them  into  his  lodge.  They  were  very 
tired,  but  found  no  time  to  rest.  The  Indians  flocked 
together  from  every  part  of  the  village  to  hear  the  Gos- 
pel. On  the  next  morning  the  work  was  resumed,  and 
continued  for  three  days  with  great  power.  .Y  deep  "*  •' 
impression  was  made  upon  the  hearts  of  the  natives. 
Tears  rolled  down  their  cheeks,  and  their  whole  frames^, 
were  convulsed  with  emotion  as  they  listened  to  that 
Word  which  is  "sharper  than  any  two-edged  sword, 
piercing  even  to  the  dividing  asunder  of  soul  and  spirit, 
and  of  the  joints  and  marrow,  and  is  a  discerner  of  the 
thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart. "^  I'apunhank  seemed 
to  be  moved  even  more  than  his  former  disciples.  On 
one  occasion,  after  an  earnest  discourse,  Zeisberger 
turned  to  him  and  exclaimed,  "Brother,  what  have  you 
to  say  to  this  people?"  "Nothing,"  he  replied,  with 
a  subdued  voice,  "  except  that  they  shall  listen  to  their 
new  teachers."  On  another  occasion  ho  attempted  to 
speak,  but  his  feelings  overcame  him,  and  the  words 
died  away  on  his  lips. 

Toward  evening  of  the  twenty-sixth,  having  preached 


.v<N«.; 


'  Pcarce's  Annuls  of  Luzerne  County. 
2  liebiows,  iv.  12. 


.1  -'  i 


■I 


,/:! 


}-'i.vZv-^«'- 


(7 


■t', 


.-'/  ',  lA- 


a< 


270 


L/i'^^  ^.VZ)   r/il/^<S  OF 


r~ 


by  turns  almost  without  interruption  from  early  morn- 
ing, Zeisberger  and  Anthony  went  back  to  Bethlehem 
with  a  message  from  the  council  of  the  town  to  the 
Board,  asking  that  a  resident  teacher  might  be  sent 
them  and  a  Mission  established. 

/  The  Board  responded  hy  appointing  Zeisberger  to  un- 
(dertake  this  work,  who  retraced  his  steps  to  Machiwi- 
hilusing  in  the  second  week  of  June.  Nathaniel,  a 
native  assistant,  accompanied  him.^ 

At  ^joining,  he  lieaiid  of  Pontiac's  CQuapiracv'.  The 
whole  valley  rang  with  the  news,  and  the  scattered 
Christian  and  friendly  Indians  were  preparing  to  leave. 
The  war  had  b-oken  out  in  all  its  vengeful  fury.  AVhile 
nature  was  robing  the  forests  of  the  West  in  the  green 
mantle  of  May,  the  savages  had  silently  stolen  through 
them,  seized  most  of  the  forts  unawares,  and  massacred 
the  garrisons.  Thus  fell  Sandusky,  St.  Joseph,  Miami, 
Ouatanon,  Venango,  and  Michilimackinac.    Detroit,  the 

Imost  iniportant  post  of  all,  the  honor  of  taking  which 

I  Pontiac  had  reserved  for  himself,  remained,  indeed,  in 
the  hands  of  the  English,  his  plot  having  been  betrayed 
to   Major  Gladwyn ;    but    the    fort  was   now   regularly 

■  and  closely  besieged  by  seven  hundred  savages.  In  the 
course  of  June,  Pre«que  Isle  capitulated,  and  Le  Bceuf 

^  was  deserted. 

What  wonder  that  the  converts  at  Wyoming  were 
alarmed !  Zeisberger,  iiowever,  considered  the  reports 
exaggerated ;  and  proceeded  on  his  way.     Nor  did  he 


•  A  Deliiwarc!  from  Tunki.-mnock,  the  brother  of  Anthony,  buptizcd 
by  Ciimmerhotl",  May  17,  1749. 


DAVID   ZEISBERGER. 


271 


I  early  morn- 

o  Bethlehem 

town  to  the 

liu^ht  be  sent 


iberger  to  un- 
to Macliiwi- 
Nuthaniel,  a 


iiacy-.  The 
the  scattered 
rini;  to  leave. 

fury.  AVhile 
:  in  the  green 
tolen  through 
and  massacred 
oseph,  jMiami, 
.  Detroit,  the 
'  taking  which 
led,  indeed,  in 
been  betrayed 
low  regularly 
vages.     In  the 

and  Le  Bauif 

Wyoming  were 
ed  the  reports 
.     Nor  did  he 


Anthony,  baptized 


turn  back  when  he  met  a  canoe  filled  with  Indians  and 
settlers,  who  were  tleelng  to  Shamokin,  and  who  cor- 
roborated all  that  he  had  heard. 

At   Machiwihilusing  he  resumed  bis  work  with    fer- 
vency and  joy.     He  was  in  his  element;  preaching  and 
in:^tructing ;    teachmj£^tlj^  .  Indmns    to^___sin^ 
Imnus :  calling  them  to  repentance ;  and  unfolding  to  ' 
their   astonished  rninds  free  grace  in  Jesus  Christ, — ai, 
doctrine   so    entirely  different    from    the    absurd    and' 
painful  conditions  of  salvation  which   Papunhank  bad. 
made  known. 

Wiiile  so  engaged,  John  "Woolman,  a   Quaker  evari-\   /•'* 
gelist,  arrived.     A  council  was  called   to  receive  him,  ;         ^  r  *  *y 
and  he  spoke  to  the  people  at  first  by  the  mouth  of  an 
interpreter,  but  afterward   feeling  "his   mind  covered 
with  the  spirit  of  prayer,"  he  expressed  a  wish  that  the  f 
interpreting  should  be  omitted.     Divine  love  was  shed 
over   the   meeting;  and  when   he   left,  he    prayed  that 
the  "great  work"  which   Zeisberger    had    undertaken, 
might  be  crowned  with  success.' 

I\i|)^imh{mk_grew_in   grace  and   asked   for  baptism^    '^-'t;. 
Another  convert  did  the  same.     Their  repentance  was    :.,,', 
thorough    and    agonizing.     Papunbank's     distress    of 
mind,  at  last,  became   so   great  that  he  could  neitlig^ 
sleep  nor  eat. 

On  the  twent^'-sixth  of  Juno,  the  whole  town  gathered 
to  a  solemn  assembly.  Zeisberger  opened  the  service 
with  a  Delaware  hymn.     Then  he  preached  upon  the 

1  John  Woolman,  an  article  in  tho  "  Eclectic  Review,"  republished  in 
No.  29,  vol.  xvii.  of  "Friend's  Review." 


v'  >  ■ 


s^.. 


272 


.J 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


:i 


!';•'*•  I. 


IH^ 


O, 


^A 


V 


subject  of  baptism,  and  examined  Papmihank  conceru- 

iug    his    fiiith,  who   added    this  vohiutary  confession : 

"  The  Saviour  has  made  me  feel  my  misery  and  utterly 

depraved  state.     I  used  to  preach  to  you ;  I  imagined 

myself  a  good  man  ;  I  did  not   know  that   I  was   the 

:  greatest  sinner  among  you  all.     B''others,  forgive  and 

forget  everything  I  have  said  and  done."     So  speaking, 

he  fell  on   his  knees,  and  Zeisberger  baptized  him  in 

the    name  of  the  Triune   God.     lie  was  called  John. 

This  was  tiie   first  prophet  whom  Zeisberger   brought 

inta-the  Church  of  Chnst^ and  "he  rejoiced  more  over 

thisconvert,"  says  Ileckcweldsr,  "than  he  \\:ijuld_Jiave 

rejoiced  had  he  inherited   a  kingdom."     In  the  after- 

Inoon  the  other  convert  was  baptized,  and  received  the 

I 

;  name  of  Peter.     "  Now  my  heart  is  light,"  he  joyfully 

exclaimed  ;  "before  it  was  heavy,  so  heavy  that  I  could 
scarcely  endure  it." 
Strano-e  siajht!  While  the  hatchets  of  Pontiac  and 
;^  his  fierce  warriors  were  reeking  with  the  blood  of  the 
race  that  had  invaded  their  hunting-grounds,  and  were 
ready  to  spread  devastation  and  death  throughout  the 
Colonies,  these  Monseys  were  learning  to  know  the  true 
God  and  Jesus  Christ  His  Son,  shedding  tears  of  re- 
pentance, blessing  the  white  man  who  taught  them  the 
Gospel,  and,  instead  of  the  war-scn'^j:  tsingiiig  hjnnns  of 
praise  to  the  Prince  of  Peace ! 

The  next  three  days  Zeisi  oiger  an^i  Na-htinlal  spent 
at  Tawandaemenk,  ten  miles  from  Tiog  xvhere  an 
awakening  had  taken  place,  and  the  word  oi'  God  was 
received  with  the  same  avidity  as  at  Macliiwihilusing. 


m\ 


DAVID   ZEISBERGER. 


273 


nk  concern- 
confession  : 
'  and  utterly 
I  imagined 
t   I  was   the 
forgive  and 
3o  speaking, 
ized  him  in 
called  John. 
irer  brought 
d  more  over 
.^ViiuliLiiave 
[n  the  after- 
received  the 
'  he  joyfully 
that  I  could 

Pontiac  and 
blood  of  the 
ds,  and  were 
•oughout  the 
now  the  true 
tears  of  re- 
yht  them  the 
t!i>  hvmns  of 


n 


m 


% 


But  this  work  could  not  continue.  On  the  thirtieth 
of  Juno,  a  runner  arrived  with  a  letter  for  Zeisberger 
from  J3ishop  Seidel,  detailing  the  massacres  at  the 
Western  forts,  and  recalling  him  to  Bethlehem,  He 
reluctantly  obeyed  the  summons.  The  prospect  of 
establishing  a  Mission  was  bright.  But  it  would  have 
been  foolhardiness  to  remain.  ,^^ont\ac^_^^es  \vere^ 
beginniij^  tp_  visit  the_to3vu._ 

At  Wyoming,  Zeisberger  lodged  with  the  Connecticut 
settlers.  They  had,  unhappily,  determined  to  stay  in 
the  valley  and  brave  the  danger.  On  the  tenth  of  July 
he  reached  Bethlehem. 


18 


rhuniel  spent 
p.  \vhere  an 
oi'  God  was 
ivihilusing. 


■  11     I  -I  "  «i«i»"IF^^W''^^"^^RPPPpiB|ip 


n 


KU 


iff'?'? 


274 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER   XV. 

THE  PONTIAC  WAR  AND  THE  PAXTON  INSURRECTION.— 1763, 1764. 

Indians  dovastato  the  frontiers. — Battle  at  Bloody  Run. — Fort  Pitt  be- 
leaguered.— Battle  of  Bufrliy  Run. — Zei.sbergcr  at  Ciiristiansbrunn. — 
The  animosity  of  tiio  settlers  and  the  danger  of  the  Christian  Indians. 
— The  Governor  promises  proteetion. — Their  badges. — Murder  of  some 
of  the  convert.s. — The  murderers  killed  by  the  savages. — The  Christian 
Indians  threatened  with  extermination. — One  of  them  arrested,  <  uthe 
charge  of  nuirdor,  and  taken  to  Philadelphia. — Marshall  negotiates 
with  the  government. — The  converts  disarmed  and  brought  to  Phila- 
delphia.— Refused  admittance  to  the  barracks. — The  mob. — Quartered 
on  Province  Island. — Massacre  of  the  Conestoga  Indians. — Excitement 
in  Philadelphia. — The  Presbyterians  and  the  Quakers. — The  Christian 
Indians  sent  to  New  York. — Ordered  back  by  the  Governor  of  that 
Province. — Return  to  Philadelphia  and  arequartered  in  the  barracks. 
— ThePaxton  Insurrection. — Great  sufferings  of  the  converts  by  reason 
of  sickness. — Their  release  at  the  close  of  the  war. 

About  the  time  of  Zeisborger's  return,  the  war  drew 
nearer  to  the  settlements.  While  an  army  of  savages, 
with  imparalleled  obstinacy,  still  continued  the  siege  of 
Detroit,  other  bodies  of  them  menaced  the  posts  re- 
maining in  Pennsylvania,  and  numerous  scalping-parties 
attacked  the  frontier  inhabitants.  Farms  were  laid 
waste,  homesteads  burned,  defenseless  women  and  chil- 
dren butchered,  Hundreds  of  fugitives  flocked  to  Car- 
lisle,  or  sought  refuge  in  the  woods  on  both  sides  of 
the  Susquehaima.  All  tlie  horrors  of  the  fii:gt_Ij3i4iau 
War  were  re-enacted. 

Toward  the  end  of  July,  Captain  Dalzell,  from  Fort 


iK- 


-A'v  y 


^  (jU  fy^J^X 


(Tt 


DAVID  ZEISBERGEB. 


27f 


ON.— 1763, 1764. 

—Fort  Pittbc- 
istiansbrunn.— 
ri;itian  Indians. 
Murder  ofsomo 
_Tlio  Christian 

arrested,  <  uthe 
shall  negotiates 
'ougbt  to  Pbila- 
lob.— Quartered 
,js. —Excitement 
.—Tho  Christian 
iovcrnor  of  that 

in  the  barracks. 

nvcrts  by  reason 


lie  war  drew 
y  of  savages, 
1  the  siege  of 
the  posts  re- 
alping-parties 
lis  were   laid 
neu  and  chil- 
ocked  to  Car- 
botli  sides  of 
e  iiKgtljidiau 

oil,  from  Fort 


m 


Niagara,  succeeded  in  throwing  reinforcements  into 
Detroit;  but,  two  nights  later,  attempting  a  sortie 
against  the  Indians,  contrary  to  the  convictions  of  Major 
Gladwyn,  who  had  given  a  most  rohictant  consent,  he 
suiiered  a  total  defeat  at  Parent's  Creek,  which  after 
that  took  the  expressive  name  of  "  Bloody  Run.'' 
About  the  same  time,  a  furious  assault  was  mad 
upon  Fort  Pitt,  and  kept  up  for  five  successive  daysj 
Whether  the  sorely-pressed  garrison  could  have  held 
out  much  longer  is  doubtful,  had  not  Colonel  Bouquet, 
with  live  hundred  men,  advanced  to  its  relief  from 
Carlisle.  The  savages  left  Fort  Pitt,  in  order  to  inter- 
cept him,  ;^.ud  attacked  his  army  (August  5th)  near 
Bushy  Run,  beyond  F(irt  Ligonier.  A  hard-fought 
battle  of  two  days  ensued.  Bouquet  suffered  severely, 
but  at  last  defeated  the  Indians  by  a  bold  stratagem. 
This  victory  saved  Yuri  Pitt,  and  gave  new  h>ues  to 
the  bleeding  J'rovince  of  Pennsylvania. 

Meanwhile  Zeisberger  had  taken  up  hi«<  abode  at 
Christiansbrunn,  whence  he  was  frequenf5y  sent  U) 
Wechquetank,  as  the  messenger  of  the  Mi^*»iion  Beyar*!. 
Both  at  this  station  and  at  Nain  the  Indians  were  in 
no  little  danger.  Exasperated  by  the  many  and  cruel 
massacres  that  occurred,  the  inhabitants  of  the  frontier 
counties  breathed  vengeance  against  the  "Moravian  In- 
dians," as  the  converts  wore  called,  whom  they  accused 
of  being  in  league  with  the  savages.  Especial  bitter- 
ness was  manifested  by  the  Scotch-Irish  settlers,  in 
whom  the  zeal  of  their  forefathers  had  degenerated  into 
fierce  fanaticism  upon  the  subject  of  the  aborigines  of 


'""!'W^"P"P"»«"»i"iHI«P" 


ihi 


'^'^^^mmmmmmm 


l:i 


.^: 


On.' 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

America.  They  professed  to  believe  that  the  Indians 
wore  the  Canaanites  of  the  "Western  Worhl ;  that  God's 
command  to  Joshua,  to  uttei'ly  destroy  these  nations,' 
heUl  good  with  regard  to  tlie  savages  also;  that,  there- 
fore, the  whole  Indian  race  ought  to  be  exterminated; 
and  that  the  war  then  raging  was  a  judgment  from  the 
JVTost  High,  because  this  had  not  been  accompllshod. 

On  the  twenty-second  of  July,  the  converts  Hont  nil 
address  to  the  Governor  claiming  his  protection,  which 
he  promised  them.^  At  the  same  time,  as  they  would 
be  liable  to  great  danger  from  tho  scouting-purtles  it 
would  be  necessary  for  him  to  send  out,  ho  suggested 
to  Squire  Ilorstield,  that  "  some  visible,  apparent  badge 
of  distinction  should  be  agreed  on,  by  which  they  might 
be  known  to  be  friends."' 

In  accordance  with  this  suggestion,  Ilorsfield  drew 
up  eight  articles,  describing  their  appearance,  regulating 
tiieir  conduct  when  meeting  white  men,  and  calling 
both  upon  soldiers  and  civilians,  "not  to  upbraid  these 
Indians  with  the  acts  of  other  Indians,  not  spiteful'y 
to  treat  them,  not  to  threaten  to  shoot  them."  These 
,  articles,  having  been  approved  at  Nain  and  Weehque- 
tank,*  were  communicated  to  the  Governor,  and  made 
known  among  the  settlers. 

The  description  of  the  Christian  Indians  was  as 
follows:  "They  are  always  clothed;  they  are  never 
painted,  and  wear  no  feathers,  but  hats  or  caps ;  they 


r 


1  Dcut.  vii.  2.  »  Copy  of  the  address.  MS.  B.  A. 

8  Letter  from  Governor  Hamilton  to  Ilorsfield.     B.  A. 
*  Diury  of  Wechquotauk.     MS.  B.  A. 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


277 


the  Indians 
;  that  God's 
2se   nations,' 
;  that,  there- 
scterminatcd ; 
ont  from  tlio 
miiUshod. 
^'ui'tH  floiit  nil 
ectioti,  which 
IS  they  would 
tit»g-iuvrt\cs  it 
ho  suggested 
^parent  hadgo 
c\i  they  might 

[orsfiohl  drew 
ice,  regulating 
1,  and  dialling 
upbraid  tliese 
not  spitcfnlh' 
hem."  These 
and  WechquG- 
nor,  and  made 

ndians  was   as 
hey  arc   never 
or  caps;  they 


MS.  B.  A. 
B.  A. 


fil 


-if 


let  their  hair  grow  naturally;  they  carry  their  guns  on  ^^■7'y 
their  shoulders,  with  the  shaft  upwards."  The  rule  to  '  .' 
be  observed  by  them,  when  meeting  a  wliite  nian,  was  C'^k 
this:  "They  will  call  to  him,  salute  him,  and  coming'  ' ''' 
near  will  carry  their  guns  either  reversed  or  on  the 
shoulder."  "Lastly,  they  intend,  when  they  go  out 
liunting,  to  get  a  pass  of  Mr.  Timotliy  Ilorslield,  if  he 
bu  at  home;  or  else  of  their  ministers,  Mr.  John  Jacob 
Schinii'lc,  at  Nain,  or  Mr.  Bernard  Adam  Grubo,  at 
Weidupietunk.''  That  the  Christian  Indiana  tnoekly 
submitted  to  siudi  restrictions,  so  galling  to  the  |)rble 
of  their  race,  is  one  of  the  many  eviduiicus  id'  llm  gltutt 
change  wrouglit  in  them  through  the  fiower  of  tjje, 
Gospel. 

For  several  weeks  after  the  issuing  of  the  articles, 
they  remained  undisturbed.     But,  in  the    night   of  the 
twentieth  of  August,  an  event  occurred  which  was  the 
beginning  of  their  troubles.    Zacharias,  his  wife  and  little  ,\, 
child,  and  Zijjora,  all  Christian  Indians  on  their  way  toLy 


^ 


V 


Long  Island,  a  village  on  the  Suscpiehanna,"  were  tran-/  ^        J^^\j 
quilly  sleeping  in  a  barn,  near  the  Buchcabuchka  CreokJ      ,       ^ 
relying  for  protection  upon  Captain  Jacob  Wetterhold'  vj 
and  his  company,  who  happened  to  be  quartered  at  the 
same    place;    when,   suddenly,    these    very   protectors, 
who  had  been  drinking  hard,  fell  upon  and  murderedj 


»  Copy  of  articles.     MS.  B.  A. 

^  Zacharias  and  his  family  had  belonged  to  the  Mission  at  Weehque- 
tank,  but  had  withdrawn  from  it  and  removed  to  Long  Island.  They 
were  returning  from  a  visit  to  Wechquetank,  and  had  persuaded  Zipora, 
a  member  of  the  Mission,  to  accompany  them. 


I.,: 


It 


lit 


li 


•^^ 


ill 


••I 


^ 


V" 


v.^ 


fflrvi 


i^: 


tlioni  all,  not  sparing  even  tlio  mother  and  her  child, 
although  she  knoolod  aL  their  iVot,  in  an  agony,  and 
besonclit  thorn  to  have  niercv.  That  this  ha.-<e  act 
vvoukl  excite  the  vengeance  of  Zacharias's  four  brothers, 
who  ivod  at  "Wechquetai  '',  was  the  prevailing  opinion. 
Hence  the  militia  haste  .-d  to  anticipate  the  expected 
retaliation,  and  three  several  parties  appeared  at  Wech- 
(pietaiik,  in  order  to  destroy  the  village.  It  was  with 
the  utmost  difficulty,  only  by  appealing  to  the  pledge  of 
protection  received  from  the  government,  and,  at  last, 
by  threatening  to  report  Captain  Wetterhold  to  the 
Governor,  his  Commander-in-chief,  that  the  missionaries 
averted  an  assault.' 

But,  although  Wetterhold  and  his  troops  had  nothing 
to  fear  from  the_Wcch(^uctank_Indunis,  other  avengers 
were  on  their  track.  Early  in  the  morning  of  the  eighth 
of  October,  while  the  militia  wore  encamped  on  John 
Stinton's  farm,  in  the  Irish  settlement,  the  savages  sur- 
prised them,  killed  Stinton  and  several  of  the  soldiers, 
and  mortally  wounded  Wetterhold,  who  died  the  next 
day.  A  storm  of  indignation  swept  o\er  Northampton 
County.  Man}-  of  its  inhabitants,  indeed,  thought  only 
of  their  own  safety,  and,  excited  by  the  most  extrava- 
gant rumors,  Hocked  to  Bethlehem  and  to  the  Crown,  a 
tavern  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Lehigh,  for  protection,^ 
But  a  body  of  militia  hastened  to  Wechquetank  to  mas- 


U 


'  Diary  of  Wechquetank.    MS.  B.  A. 

2  Bethlehem  Diary,  Oct.  1762.  This  tavern  stood  east  of  the  old  Phil- 
adelphia road,  not  far  from  the  depot  of  the  North  Pennsylvania  Rail- 
road. 


li 


DA^ID  ZEISDERGER. 


279 


md  her  child, 
n  agony,  and 
this  ha.-<e  act 
four  brotliers, 
liling  opinion. 

the   expectctl 

ared  at  Wceh- 

It  was  with 

tlie  pledge  of 
t,  and,  at  last, 
3rhold  to  the 
le  missionaries 

)s  had  nothing 
other  avengers 
(r  of  the  eighth 
niped  on  John 
le  savages  snr- 
of  the  soldiers, 

died  the  next 
r  Northampton 
I,  thought  only 

most  extrava- 
:o  the  Crown,  a 
for  protection.'' 
luetank  to  mas- 


east  of  the  old  Phil- 
Pennsylvania  Kail- 


■-'■«. 


sacrc  the  whole  congregation,  and  were  prevented  from 
carrying  out  their  purpose  only  by  the  most  earnest  per- 
suasions of  Grube,  who,  at  midnight  of  the  day  of  'he 
murder,  had  received  an  express  from  the  Board,  in- 
forming him  of  the  catastrophe,  and  advising  immediate 
measures  for  the  safety  of  his  people. 

That  the  Weehquetank  Indians  were  suspected  of 
having  omniitted  the  assault  on  the  Irish  settlement,  or 
at  least  of  having  instigated  it,  was  natural ;  that,  how- 
ever, they  were  innonent  does  not  admit  of  a  doubt, 
and  is  fully  established  by  evidence  both  circumstantial 
and  positive.' 


'  The  author  of  the  History  of_  the  Cons-pirac'ij  of  Po7itiafi,  y.  422^, 
says  that  the  charges  against  the  Moravian  Indians  of  having  taken 
part  in  the  murders  in  Northampton  County  "  were  never  fully  con- 
futed," and  adds,  that  "it  is  highly  jn'obable  that  some  of  them  were 
disposed  to  sympathize  with  their  hoatlien  countrymen."  I  am  sorry 
that  ho  has  marred  his  interesting  and  valuable  work  by  such  an  impu- 
tation u])on  the  memory  of  the  "Moravian  Indians;"  and  as  this  is  a 
matter  of  importance,  because  it  serves  to  illustrate  the  complete  change 
produced  in  their  hearts  by  the  Gospel,  I  here  give  the  proofs  which 
establish  their  innocence. 

1.  All  the  records  of  the  missionaries  positively  assert  it,  which  these 
records  would  not  do  if  they  had  been  guilty;  for,  in  a  later  period, 
when  the  Mission  hud  been  transferred  to  Ohio,  such  converts  as  took 
part  in  the  wars  are  mentioned  in  the  Diaries  of  the  Missionaries, 
and  were  excluded  from  church-fellowship.  2.  The  peculiar  discipline 
observed  in  all  Moravian  Indian  congregations  rendered  it  almost 
impossible  for  a  convert  to  join  a  war-party  without  being  detected; 
and  this  discipline  in  the  Pontiac  "War  was  particularly  strict,  the  mis- 
sionaries at  Nain  and  AVechquetank  keeping  an  exact  journal  of  where 
each  convert  spent  every  day  and  night.  (Letter  from  Bishop  Boehler 
to  Governer  Hamilton,  B.  A.)  3.  The  Weehquetank  Indians,  in  July 
and  August,  17G8,  twice  actually  prevented,  of  their  own  accord,  attacks 
upon  the  settlements  by  persuading  the  warriors  who  stopped  in  their  town 
to  return  to  the  West.    4.  When  the  Indians  were  removed  from  Wech- 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
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280 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


Grube  and  his  converts  now  fled  to  Nazareth,  leaving 
their  village  and  stores  of  corn  to  the  mercy  of  their 
enemies,  who  destroyed  both.  At  Nazareth  they  were 
quartered  in  the  Widows'  House.*  Thither  Zeisberger 
proceeded  and  took  charge  of  the  converts ;  Gruoe,  ac- 
companied by  Squire  Ilorsfield,  Schraick,  and  Marshall, 
having  gone  to  Philadelphia  in  order  to  report  to  the 
Governor  and  deliver  a  letter  from  Bishop  Boehler, 
-urgently  entreating  his  immediate  aid.''  Meantime  Zeis- 
berger  and  the  Christian  Indians  encircled  Nazareth 
*  with  stockades,  in  the  event  of  an  assault  on  the  port  of 
I  the  savages.^ 

The  Nain  Indians  too  were  in  trouble.  An  attack 
upon  their  town  was  averted  by  one  of  their  nearest 
neighbors,  who  met  the  party  that  was  advancing  against 
it,  and,  upon  his  personal  knowledge,  testified  to  their 
peaceable  disposition.*  After  that  none  of  them  ven- 
tured to  leave  the  Mission-land,  except  in  company  of 
a  white  man.  The  intelligence,  received  about  this 
time,  of  the  massacre  of  the  Connecticut  settlers  at 


'^quetank,  their  nearest  white  neighbors,  who  certainly  know  them  well, 
petitioned  the  Governor  to  send  them  back,  stating  that  these  Indians 
were  the  best  safeguard  they  could  have  against  assaults  of  the  savages. 
(Copy  of  this  petition  as  delivered  to  Governor  Hamilton  by  Mr.  Fred- 
crick,  the  minister  of  these  settlers.  MS.  B.  A.)  5.  The  Indian  who 
was  afterward  accused  of  having  aided  in  the  attack  upon  the  Irish  sct- 
•!  tlement,  and  who  was  arrested  and  tried  at  Easton,  was  declared  "not 
■^  guilty"  by  a  jury  of  white  men,  who  could  not  resist  the  mass  of  evi- 

Idenco  brought  in  his  favor  in  spite  of  the  universal  desire  to  see  him 
condemned  and  executed.    This:  alone  is  conclusive. 
»  Bethlehem  Diary,  Oct.  1763.    T>.is  Widows'  House  is  one  of  the  log 
buildings  at  Ephrata,  near  Nazareth. 
»  Copy  of  the  letter.    B.  A.  «  Grube's  Diary.   MS.  B.  A. 

«  Bethlehem  Diary,  Oct.  1763.  B.  A. 


J 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


281 


reth,  leaving 
rcy  of  their 
;h  they  were 
r  Zeisberger 
Gruae,  ac- 
nd  Marshall, 
eport  to  the 
lop  Boehler, 
antime  Zeis- 
ed  Nazareth 
n  the  part  of 

An  attack 
their  nearest 
icing  against 
ified  to  their 
)f  them  ven- 
company  of 
i  about  this 
it  settlers  at 

know  them  well, 
at  these  Indians 
3  of  the  savages, 
on  by  Mr.  Fred- 
Thc  Indian  who 
)on  the  Irish  set- 
as  declared  "not 
the  mass  of  ev5- 
iesiro  to  see  him 


Wyoming  served  but  to  increase  the  apprehensions  of 
the  converts  and  the  excitement  of  the  country.  Three 
anxious  weeks  passed  by.  The  Indians  were  in  con- 
stant expectation  of  an  assault;  suspicion  and  distrust 
tilled  the  minds  of  the  settlers ;  the  militia  were  hardly 
restrained  from  acts  of  violence. 

'On  the  twenty-eighth  of  October,  John  Jennings, 
Esq.,  Figh  Sheriff  of  Northampton  County,  appeared 
at  Bethlehem  with  a  warrant  from  Judge  Coleman,  of; 
Philadelphia,  authorizing  him  to  arrest  Renatus,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Nain  Mission,  accused  by  John  Stiuton's 
widow,  under  oath,  of  having  formed  one  of  the  scalp-; 
ing-party  that  had  murdered  her  husband.  Renatus j 
was  a  Mohican,  baptized  on  the  twenty-eighth  of  Sep-  ^ 
tember.  1749,  at  GnadenhUtten,  by  Bishop  Cammerhoff.* 
His  father,  Jacob,  the  venerable  patriarch  of  the  Indian 
Mission,  was  the  only  survivor  of  the  first  three  con^J 
vorts. 

Jennings  having  made  George  Klein'  deputy  sheriff 
for  the  occasion,  the  latter  arrested  Renatus  on  the  fol-  / 
lowing  day,  and  then  appointed  Schmick,  a  deputy! 
under  him,  to  take  the  prisoner  to  Philadelphia.  His; 
father  accompanied  h^m.  The  party  traveled  in  a  wagon 
with  one  Lisher  as  the  driver,  and  was  followed  a  few  I 
hours  later  by  Marshall  and  Klein,  the  former  empow-J 


>  Journal  of  Frederick  de  Marshall,  from  October  28, 1763,  to  Jan.  18, 
1764.  MS.  B.  A.  This  is  an  invaluable  MS.  for  a  proper  apprehension 
of  this  intcresti:  g  period  of  the  Indian  Mission. 

*  Record  of  Baptisms. 

»  The  original  owner  of  the  land  on  which  Litiz  is  built,  and  which 
ho  gave  to  the  Church. 


282 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


\ 


/ered  to  represent  the  Mission  Board  at  the  seat  of  gov- 
'ernment.     Not  only  Renatus  required  the  services  of 
this  Board,  but  the  Christian  Indians  r?  a  body.     The 
accusation  brought  against  the  young  Mohican  inflamed 
the  minds  of  the  people  to  the  highest  pitch, — a  crisis 
in  the  Indian  Mission  was  come ;  energetic  measures  for 
its   safety  were  immediately  necessary,  or  else  its  de- 
struction would  be  inevitable.     To  negotiate  such  meas- 
I  urea  with  the  government  was  the  purpose  of  Marshall's 
(  visit. 

Schmick  and  the  two  Indians  arrived  at  Philadelphia 

toward  evening  of  the  thirtieth,  just  as  the  inhabitants 

were  recovering  from  the  consternation  which  a  severe 

earthquake  and  a  loud  roaring  noise  had  occasioned. 

/In   the  midst  of   this   aflfrighting    phenomenon,  John 

|Peunj__the   new    Governor ,, of   Pennsylvania^    stepped 

Jashore,  at  High  Street  wharf,  from  the  vessel  that^ha,d 

•  borne  him  across  the  Atlantic*     Marshall  and  Klein 

reached  the  city  later  in  the  evening. 

Eventful  scenes  were  about  to  transpire  in  Phila- 
delphia. A  drama  was  maturing,  which  had  some 
comic  features,  but  more  that  threatened  to  change 
it  into  a  bloody  tragedy.  It  will  be  proper,  therefore, 
to  introduce  those  residents  who  were  its  principal 
characters. 

First  among  them  must  be  mentioned  the  new 
Governor,  a  son  of  Richard  and  grandson  of  William 
Perm.     Desirous  to  redeem  the  promises  of  his  prede- 


{ 


'  Watson'a  Annals  of  Phiki.,  ii.  413. 


seat  of  gov- 
services  of 
body.  The 
can  inflamed 
eh, — a  crisis 
measures  for 
else  its  de- 
e  such  meas- 
)f  Marshall's 

Philadelphia 
>  inhabitants 
lich  a  severe 
occasioned, 
lenon,  John 
lia,  stepped 
sel  that_had 
I  and  Klein 

e  in   Phila- 

had  some 

to  change 

r,  therefore, 

ts  principal 

f  the  new 
of  William 
'  his  prede- 


I 


DAVID   ZEISBERGER. 


283 


cessor,    he    manifested    a    becoming    interest    in    the 
Christian   Indians,  but,  at  the  same  time,  showed  his 
inexperience   in    administering    tlie    aftiiirs   of   govern- 
ment.     AsHociitted   with   him   was   ex-Governor   Ham- 
ilton,   wlio     retained     his     seat    in     the     Council, — a 
liberuiiy-minded     man,    a    friend    of    tlie    aborigines, 
acknowledging   the   character   and   importance   of   the  ; 
work  the  Moravians  were  doing  among  them.     Exer- 1 
cising  great  influence  in  the  Assembly,  of  v/hif'h  he  \ 
was   ii    member,  we   find   Doctor  Benjamin   Franklin,  / 
the    Postmaster-General    of    the    British    Colonies    in! 
America.      He   had  visited   Bethlehem,  and  was   well  I 
acquainted  with   the    Moravians    and   their  missionary! 
labors.      Another   prominent   member   in   the   Assera-j 
bly  was    Joseph    Galloway,   a    wealthy    and   eminent^ 
lawyer.      He  had   no   faith    in   the   professions  of  the 
Christian    Indians,  and    looked   upon    them   with   dis 
favor,     until     Papunhank    and    his    tribe    voluntarily: 
surrendered   themselves.      Then    his    views    changed.' 
Particularly  active  in  upholding  their  cause  were  two 
leading  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends,— William 
Logan,  who  belonged  to  the  Governor's  Council,  and 
Israel    Pemberton,   a    benevolent    philanthropist,   who 
strove  to  carry  out  the  ideas  of  William   Penn,  and 
to  gain  the  affection  of  the  aborigines,  instead  of  sub- 
jugating them  by  force  of  arms.     The  whole  Society 
approved  of  such  a  course,  and  lent  its  aid.      Other 


» In  the  Revolution,  Galloway  espoused  the  cause  of  the  British. 
His  estates  were  forfeited,  in  1777,  for  treason,  and  sold  only  about 
twenty  years  ago.     Duiham  Furnace  was  a  part  of  them. 


pi 


IV 


:^^ 


284 


L/i^^  JAT/?    TIMES  OF 


important  characters  were  Joseph  Fox,  a  Commis- 
sioner on  the  part  of  the  Assembly,  in  charge  of 
loans ;  Thomas  Apty,  appointed  by  the  government 
to  lead  the  Indians  to  New  York;  John  Dickinson,  a 
distinguished. lawyer;^  and  especially  Lewis  Weiss,  the 
Attorney  of  the  Moravian  Church.^ 

The  day  after  his  arrival,  the  last  of  October,  Renatus 
was  committed  to  the  Stone  Prison,  at  the  southwest 
corner  of  Third  and  High  Streets.     The  legal  services 
of  Dickinson  were  engaged  ;  and  Pemberton  and  Logan 
both  promised  to  use  their  influence  to  secure  him  a 
ftiir  trial.    Not  less  obliging  was  Ex-Governor  Hamilton, 
who  assured  Marshall,  with  much  emotion,  that  it  was 
his  earnest  wish  to  assist  tlie  converts  and  deliver  them 
from  further  persecutions,   requesting  him  to  suggest 
whatever  measures  would,  in    his  judgment,  conduce 
to  their  safety.     Marshall,  aided  by  Lewis  "Weiss,  drew 
up  a  plan,  of  which  the  principal  points  were  the  follow- 
ing: That  the  Christian  Indians,  until  further  orders, 
I  should  remain  on  the  Bethlehem  and  Nazareth  lands, 
and  not  go  beyond  these,  on  pain  of  forfeiting  the 
iprotection  of  government;   that  being  thus  deprived 
I  of  the  liberty   of   the    chase,   on   which  they  chiefly 
I  depended  for  a  subsistence,  they  should  receive  from 
!governraent  each  a  public  allowance  of  Bd.  per  diem; 

,-     '  When  a  member  of  Congress,  ho  refused  to  sign  the  Declaration 


^  of  Indepcndcncc._  Afterward  he  w^sPresiddnt  of  the  State.     Dickin- 
;  tion  Collcgo.i3  named,  ttJftQr  hjm. 

*  He  had  a  brother,  Jacob,  who  subsequently  lived  at  Gnadcnhiitten, 

now  Weissport,  where  he  died.     The  present  town  is  named  after 

him. 


I  ,A*,;  "J^^O.  tf^ 


^     (z 


-J  eVi-^n  - 


■^MMMkACM 


DAVID  ZEJSBEROEB. 


285 


Commis- 
large  of 
ernment 

'eiss,  the 

Renatiis 
'utlnvest 
services 
d  Logan 
i  him  a 
imiltou, 
t  it  was 
or  them 
suggest 
conduce 
!s,  drew 
follow- 
orders, 
lands, 
iig  the 
'prived 
chiefly 
!  from 
diem; 

[amtipij 
Dickin- 

hutten, 
d  after 


that  two  creditable  persons  of  Northampton   County 
should  be  appointed  their  Muster-Masters.* 

This  plan  William  Logan  laid  before  the  Governor 
and  Council ;  but,  at  the  instigation  of  other  parties,  it 
was  rejected,  and,  in  place  of  it,  a  resolution  adopted  to 
disarm  and  remove  the  converts  to  Philadelphia,  which 
project  the  Assembly  sanctioned,  with  little  dissent. 

Hamilton  had  not  been  in  Council  when  the  removal 
of  the  Indians  was  decided  upon ;  nor  had  his  advice 
been  asked.  At  this  he  took  offense ;  and,  for  a  time, 
showed  no  further  interest  in  their  cause. 

Governor  Penn's  express  to  the  Mission  Board,  With 
the  decree  of  the  Council  and  the  Assembly,  reached 
Bethlehem  in  the  evening  of  the  iifth  of  November, 
and  Nazareth  on  the  sixth.      Although   distressed   at 
the  thought  of  being  shut  up  in  the  city,  the  converts 
obeyed  the  mandate ;  and  when  Sheriff  Jennings  came 
lirst  to  Nain,  and  then  to  Nazareth,  to  disarm  them,  they  '' 
yielded  up  their  rifles  with  astonishing  readiness.    This/ 
was  again  an  evidence  of  the  reality  of  their  conversion.  '■ 
They  had  been  warriors;   they  prized  their  weapons, \ 
the  insignia  of  their  freedom,  as  highly  as  did   their- 
wild   fellow-Indians ;  they  might  have   dispersed,  and 
betaken   themselves  to  the  "Western  hunting-grounds,  \ 
where  the  tribes  would  have  received  them  with  open  i 
arms;  but  they  valued   the   Gospel    more   than   their/ 
rifles,  and  loved  the   Saviour,  whom  they  had   found  ( 
precious  to  their  souls,  more  than  liberty  or  life.^ 


/ 


1  Draft  of  Plan.     MS.  B.  A. 

'  The  author  of  the  History  of  Pontiac's   Conspiracy  fails,  in  his 


286 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OP 


On  the  eighth  of  November,  the  Indians  from 
Nazareth  arrived  at  Bethlehem;  and,  after  a  farewell 
discourse  delivered  in  the  church  by  Bishop  Boehler, 
upon  the  words,  "  Make  thy  way  straight  before  my 
face,"^  proceeded  to  the  south  bank  of  the  Lehigh. 
There  they  were  joined  by  the  Nain  Indians,  under 
Zeisberger  and  Roth.  The  inhabitants  of  the  town 
came  to  see  their  departure,  bringing  gifts  of  blankets 
and  clothing.  During  their  absence,  Nain  was  intrusted 
to  a  farmer,  who  lived  there  with  his  family.  Their 
cattle  were  sold. 

Headed^  by  the  Sheriff,  the  procession  moved  about 

the  middle  of  the  afternoon.     Eight  wagons,  each  under 

the  charge  of  a  white  man,  bore  the  aged,  the  sick,  the 

women   and   children,  together  with  Mrs.   Grube  and 

Mrs.   Roth ;    the   men    followed    on    foot,   Zeisberger, 

Grube,  and  Roth  among  them,  passing  from   rank  to 

/rank  with  words  of  encouragement  and  peace.      The 

1  total  number  of  Indians  was-^ne  hijadred^  aiiiLtwenty- 

(fivg.     After  a  journey  of  but  five  miles,  they  spent  the 

I  night  on  Stoffel  Wagner's  farm.     The  next  morning, 

they  pursued  their  way  amid  a  pelting  rain,  and  passed 

the  second  night  at  two  adjacent  taverns.    Having  hired 

an  additional  wagon,  the  journey  was  resumed.     From 

nearl}'^  every  hamlet  came  curses ;  almost  every  traveler 


/narrative  of  those  events,  to  make  this  point.  He  says,  page  424, 
\that  the  Indians  "reluctantly"  yielded  up  their  arms.  This  is  a  mere 
)  supposition.  The  diary  of  Grube  states  particularly  that  it  was  done 
i  with  astonishing  "patience  and  resignation." 

1  Psalm,  V.  8. 

a  Grubo'8  Journal.     MS.  B.A. 


DAVJD  ZEISBERGER. 


287 


greeted  them  with  imprecations.  When  they  ap- 
proached Germautown,  the  rabble  of  that  whole 
neighborhood  was  roused,  and  angry  threats  were 
made  to  kill  them.  The  Sheriff  restrain  ad  the  people 
with  no  little  ditHculty.  Indeed,  had  not  a  heavy  rain 
set  in,  and  cooled  their  murderous  desires,  ho  would 
scarcely  have  succeeded  in  preventing  an  assault. 

Meanwhile  the  Governor  had  designated  the  Phila- 
delphia Barracks  as  the  quarters  of  the  refugees;  and, 
at  the  instance  of  Marshall,  appointed  Joseph  Fox,  Esq., 
Commissary  to  provide  for  their  wants. 

The  "British  Barracks,"  as  they  were  called,  were 
erected  soon  after  Braddock's  defeat,  and  extended  from 
Tammany  to  Green  and  from  Third  to  Second  Streets, 
in  the  form  of  a  hollow  square.  On  Second  Street  was 
situated  the  parade-ground ;  the  three  other  sides  of 
the  square  were  lined  with  two-story  brick  houses,  hav- 
ing inside  porticoes  along  the  entire  length ;  the  quarters 
of  the  officers  were  on  Third  Street,  in  a  three-story 
building.  At  the  time  of  our  narrative  several  com- 
panies of  Highlanders  were  quartered  in  these  barracks. 

On  the  morning  of  the  eleventh,  Marshall,  Schmick, 
George  Neisser,^  and  Commissary  Fox,  proceeded  thither 
in  order  to  receive  the  Indians.  They  arrived  about  half- 
past  nine  o'clock,  and  the  first  three  wagons,  filled  with 
women  and  children,  passed  in  at  the  gate.  But  sud-) 
denly  the  soldiers  divined  the  meaning  of  this  strange 
visit.     Seizing  their  muskets,  they  rushed  tumultuouslyj 


'  The  Pastor  of  tho  Moravian  Cliurch  in  Philadelphia. 


1^1 


288 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OP 


J  ■'together,  stopped  the  rest  of  the  wagons,  and  threatened 
to  fire  among  the  cowerhig  women  in  the  yard  if  they 
did  not  instantly  leave.  Persuasions  and  threats  were  of 
no  avail ;  and  Fox  hurried  oil'  to  report  to  the  Governor. 
,  Meanwhile  a  large  crowd  had  assembled,  which  soon 

Welled  into  an  excited  mob.  Second  Street  rang  with 
shouts  and  yells  fierce  as  the  war-whoops  of  the  savages; 

'  maledictions  and  rcvilements  poured  like  a  torrent 
upon  the  Indians;   blood-thirsty  menaces  passed  from 

i  mouth  to  mouth :  "  Shoot  them  !  hang  them  !  scalp  the 

1  accursed  red-skins  !"  The  presence  of  the  missionaries, 
and  of  clergymen  like  Marshall  and  Neisser,  was  no 
restraint  upon  the  rabble,  but  inflamed  them  still  more. 
Zeisberger  and  Grube,  Schmick  and  Roth,  Marshall 
and  Neisser,  were  each  and  all  denounced  and  execrated 

.  most  violently.  From  ten  o'clock  until  three  in  the 
afternoon  the  converts  and  their  teachers  "  were  made 
a  gazing-stock,  both  by  reproaches  and  afflictions,"  to 
this  Philadelphia  mob,  and  endured  every  abuse  which 
wild  frenzy  or  ribald  vulgarity  could  clothe  in  words. 
But  they  were  not  left  altogether  without  sympathizers. 

;  Many  Quakers  came  braving  the  scorn  of  the  rabble, 

^  took  the  Indians  by  the  hand,  and  called  them  friends. 

-  Nor  did  the  faith  of  the  converts  themselves  fail.    ''Vhile 

\ 

I  the  crowd  maligned  and  threatened  them,  they  talked 

(together  of  Him  whose  name  they  bore.     "Jesus  was 

/  despised  and  rejected  of  men,"  they  said;  "what  else 

can  we  expect?    Jesus  was  buft'eted  and  spit  upon,  yet 

He  opened  not  His  mouth ;  why  should  we  not  patiently 

bear  these  indignities?" 


DAVID  ZEISDERQER. 


289 


At  last  Commissary  Fox  returned,  with  some  mem- 
bers of  the  Council,  and  proposed  to  convey  the  Indians 
to  Province  Island,  the  government  being  afraid  to 
quell  the  mutiny  by  force.  Surrounded  by  the  mob, 
they  proceeded  down  Second  Street  "  like  sheep  among 
howling  wolves,"  said  the  missionaries,  to  the  outskirts 
of  the  city.  There  the  mob  dispersed,  while  they 
were  brought  to  the  ferry,  and  thence  taken  in  flats  to 
the  Island. 

Province  Island   constituied  the  summer-quarantined 
of  the  port  of  Philadelphia,'  and  the  Indians,  in  charge  I 
of  Grubc  and  Zeisberger,  occupied  two  large  hospital-/ 
buildings.     The  first  weeks  of  their  sojourn  were  bu8y\ 
weeks  for  Zeisberger,  who  officiated  as  minister,  acted  ' 
as  superintendent,   and  labored  indefatigably  as  pur^j 
veyor,  Grube  having  been  taken  ill.     The  measures  of 
the  government  for  the  support  of  the  colony  were,  at 
first,  wholly  insufiicient.     For  a  day  they  had  to  subsist") 
on  a  few  fishes  caught  in  the  Delaware,  and  for  four 
days  there  was  no  fuel   other  than  some  half-rotten  I 
stumps.     Hastening,  therefore,  to  the  city,  he  made/ 
such  representations  as  induced  the  Council  to  provides 
supplies.      The  religious  services,  usually  held  at  th^J 
Mission,  were  all  instituted. 

Not  long  after  the  arrival  of  the  converts  on  the] 
Island,  John  Papunhank  and  his  family,  from  Machiwi-( 
hilusing,  joined  them,  and  subsequently,  by  invitation  f 
of  the  Governor,  Job  Chilloway  and  others  from  thej 


>  Marshall'8  Journal. 
19 


1 .  ■  I       I  ■  mn  r 


I:   fli 


290 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


same  village,  so   that  the   nu^mbcr__o£^ho  InJijing  in- 
creased to  one  hundred  and  forty  persons. 

In  Decen»ber,  Zeisberger  returned  to  Bethlehem,  and 
Schmick  took  his  place.  He  left  the  Indians  with  the 
best  hopes.  They  had  a  comfortable,  although  novel, 
winter  home,  and  a  safe  retreat  from  their  adversaries. 

But  these  hopes  were  destined   to   bo  disappointed. 
Not  far  from  Lancaster,  on  a  tract  known  as  the  Manor 
!  of  Conestoga,  lived  a  small   clan  of  twenty  Indians, 
;  friendly  to  the  English,  as  had  been  their  fathers  in  the 
j  times  of  William  Penn,  semi-civilized, — a  poor,  squalid, 
;  inoffensive  band.     Not  so  thought  the  Scotch-Irish  set- 
!  tiers  of  Paxton  and  other  neighboring  villages.    Armed 
'  savages,  it  was  said,  were  harbored  in  their  cabins.     On 
the  fourteenth  of  December,  Matthew  Smith  put  him- 
self at  the  head  of  fifty  men,  fell  upon  the  hamlet, 
burned  it  to  the  ground,  and  killed  six  of  the  Indians. 
The  remaining  fourteen  happened  to  be  absent.     They 
were  hastily  collected  by  the  Sheriff  of  the  county  and 
lodged  in  the  Lancaster  jail.     But,  on  the  twenty-sev- 
enth, the  same  party  galloped  into  town,  burst  open 
the  prison-doors,  and  massacred  every  Indian,  sparing 
neither  woman  nor  child. 

The  news  of  these  disgraceful  proceedings  caused  in- 
tense excitement  in  Philadelphia,  which  increased  still 
more  when  a  rumor  spread  that  the  rioters  were  march- 
ing to  the  city  in  order  to  exterminate  the  Indians  on 
Province  Island.  Even  the  Governor  and  his  Council 
were  alarmed,  and,  in  the  night  of  the  twenty-ninth, 
ordered  three  flats  and  three  boats  to  the  Island,  so  that 


DAVID  ZEISDEROER. 


291 


nuians  in- 


thc  converts  could  escape,  "  till  more  effectual  measures 
should  bo  fallen  on  for  their  i»rotection." '  On  the 
thirty-first,  intelligence  having  been  sent  them  that  the 
insurgents  were  near  Philadelphia,  they  fled  to  League 
Island.  But  it  proved  to  be  a  false  report,  and  they 
returned  to  their  quarters,  closing  the  year  with  mid- 
night liymns  of  praise  to  God,  the  strains  of  which  were 
borne  far  down  the  silent  Delaware. 

The  efforts  of  the  government  to  arrest  the  murderers 
of  the  Couestoga  Indians  were  unsuccessful,  in  spite  t)f 
two  proclamations,  and  a  reward  offered  of  two  hundred 
pounds  sterling.  This  apathy  had  its  cause.  Not  only 
animosity  against  the  Indians,  without  discrimination, 
was  on  the  increase  in  the  border  counties,  but  also  a 
general  dissatisfaction  Avith  the  government.  The 
people  complained  that  their  interests  were  neglected ; 
that  there  existed  more  sympathy  at  Philadelphia  for 
the  savages  than  for  themselves  and  their  families ;  that 
they  were  made  .>,  barrier  behind  which  the  interior 
settlements  enjoyed  peace,  "  ate,  drank,  and  were 
merry,"  while  they  "  braved  the  summer's  heat,  and  the 
winter's  cold,  and  the  savage  tomahawk."*  Such  indif- 
ference was  ascribed  to  the  influence  of  the  Quakers  and 
of  their  non-resistant  principles.  The  Quakers,  it  was 
said,  swayed  the  Assembly,  and  otherwise  had  an  undue 
preponderance  in  the  administration  of  the  government. 
Against  them,  therefore,  the  anger  of  the  inhabitants 


»  Col.  Records  of  Penn.,  ix.  100. 
»  Lazarus  Stewart's  "  Declaration." 


. 


'ila>^ 


ti'--^    ^iZ</,cl^ci:i 


<W 


'd 


292 


LI    ^  AND   TIMES  OF 


of  the  frontier  counties  was  inflamed  almost  as  hotly 
as  against  the  Indians.  The  Scotch-Irish  settlers, 
especially,  berated  the  whole  Society  of  Friends  in 
unmeasured  terms.  Excitement  and  fanaticism  led 
them  too  far,  making  them  unjust  to  the  Quakers  and 
cruel  to  the  Indians ;  but  many  of  their  complaints  were 
reasonable  and  founded  in  fact.  The  border  had  been 
neglected  by  the  government.  This  was  the  opinion 
even  of  the  principal  magistrates  of  those  counties. 

Rumors  and  alarms  ushered  in  the  year  1764.  On 
,the  twenty-ninth  of  December,  Bishop  Hehl,  of  Litiz, 
had  sent  an  express  to  Bethlehem  with  a  letter  detailing 
the  slaughter  of  tue  Conestoga  Indians,  and  announcing 
that  the  rioters  were  about  to  move  to  Philadelphia.' 
This  express  reached  "Bethlehem  on  the  thirty-first. 
The  Mission  Board,  having  delivered  the  converts 
into  the  keeping  of  the  government,  could  only  urge 
it  to  redeem  its  promises.  To  this  end,  Zeisberger 
and  Horsfield  were  sent  to  Philadelphia  as  additional 
envoys. 

Meantime  the  Quakers  had  devised  a  new  project. 
Nantucket  Island,  belonging  to  Massachusetts,  was 
peopled  mostly  by  persons  of  their  persuasion,  among 
whom  the  Indians  would  find  a  shelter.  Israel  Pem- 
berton    accordingly  proposed    to    Marshall    that    they 


1  Original  MS.  letter  B.  A.     This  letter  states  that  on  the  evening  of 

itho  duy  of  the  massacre  a  party  of  the  rioters,  on  their  return,  passed 
through  Litiz,  along  the  present  turnpike  street,  cursing  the  Moravians 
in  chorus;  nnd  having  crossed  the  stream  which  runs  from  the  Litiz 
I  Spring,  halted  and  fired  repeated  volleys  in  order  to  alarm  the  in- 
[Labitaats. 


P 


DAVID  ZEISBERQER. 


298 


should  be  conveyed  thither.'  Marshall  dispatched  Zeis- 
"berger  to  Province  Island  with  this  offer,  which  was, 
however,  declined. 

At  the  instance  of  Galloway,  Cornelius  Sturgis  and 
Nicholas  Garrison,  Jr.,  were  sent  to  Lancaster  County  as 
scouts;  while  Governor  Penu  wrote  to  General  Gage, 
the  new  commandtr-in-chief,  requesting  hira  to  put 
at  his  disposal  three  companies  of  regulars  quartered  at 
Carlisle;*  and  the  Assembly  considered  and  rejected  a 
wild  scheme  which  had  been  concocted,  to  convey  the 
Indians  to  England.' 

Garrison  having  reported  that  the  insurgents  might 
soon  be  expected,  and  that  the  popular  voice  in  the 
frontier  counties  was  in  their  favor,  which  was  corrobo- 
rated by  other  f:couts,  the  Governor  transmitted  an  urgent 
message  to  the  Assembly,  and  Lewis  Weiss  a  petition, 
both  asking  for  immediate  action.  In  response,  the 
Assembly  voted  (January  4th)  one  thousand  pounds' 
sterling,  to  be  used  in  protecting  the  Christian  Indians 
in  any  way  the  Governor  might  deem  proper.*  The 
Governor,  by  the  advice  of  his  Council,  determined  to 
send  them  to  Sir  William  Johnson,  under  escort  of 
Captain  Robinson's  Highlanders,  and  to  apply  thisj 
grant  to  t^  cpenses  of  their  removal.  However  good 
such  a  project,  and  however  much  in  accordance  with 
the  wishes  of  the  converts,  its  execution  was  strangely 
hurried  and   mismanaged;  proving  the  trepidation  of 


•  Marshall's  Journal.  '  Penn.  Col.  Records,  ix.  104, 106. 

»  Votes  of  the  Assembly,  v.  293.     *  Penn.  Col.  Records,  ix.  108,  109. 


M    ' 


294 


LIFE  AND   TIMEii  OF 


N 


the  goveruraent.  Without  consulting  the  Governor  of 
New  York,  or  waiting  to  ascertain  whether  Johnson 
was  willing  to  receive  them,  an  order  for  their  'ustaut 
departure  was  issued. 

This  order  Zeisherger  brought  to  Province  Island 
toward  evening  of  the  same  day.  He  found  the  Indians 
assembled  at  worship,  but  they  joyfully  prepared  for 
their  journey.  It  was  arranged  that  they  should  leave 
the  Island  in  the  night,  at  a  preconcerted  signal  to  be 
displayed  from  Jacob  Weiss'  farm,  which  seems  to  have 
been  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river.  At  two  o'clock 
in  the  morning  of  the  fifth  the  signal  was  given,  and 
they  came  over  in  flats.  Lewis  and  Jacob  Weiss  re- 
ceived them,  and  led  them  through  the  city  to  the 
Moravian  church  on  Race  Street,  which  thej'  reached, 
unobserved,  at  half-past  five  o'clock.  There  a  breakfast 
had  been  prepared,  to  which  they  sat  down  girded  for 
the  journey.  "It  seemed  like  the  passover-supper  in 
*Egypt,"  says  Marshall.  Commissary  Fox  looked  ou 
Avith  emotion,  and  distributed  blankets  among  them. 

Meanwhile  five  large  wagons  drew  up  before  the 
;  church.  This  excited  the  attention  of  the  neighbors, 
I  who  fio'  ked  together  in  large  numbers.  At  half-past 
six  o'cl  ok  the  church-door  opened,  and,  to  the  amaze- 
;ment  of  the  people,  there  came  forth  the  entire  body 
I  of"  Moravian  Indians,"  followed  by  Zei8berger,Schmick, 
,  Grube,  and  Mrs.  Grube,  by  Joseph  Fox,  Thomas  Apty, 


j  and  William  Logan.  A  few  miles  beyond  Philadelphia, 
I  they  were  joined  by  Captain  Robinson  and  seventy 
[  Highlanders. 


BAVW  ZEISBERGER. 


295 


ice  Island 
he  Indians 
spared  for 
3uld  leave 
^nal  to  be 
118  to  have 
wo  o'clock 
given,  and 
Weiss  re- 
ity  to  the 
J'  reached, 
I  breakfast 
girded  for 
-supper  in 
looked  ou 
J  them, 
before  the 
neighbors, 
-t  half-past 
:he  amaze- 
[itire  body 
r,Schmick, 
mas  Apty, 
iladelphia, 
id  seventy 


They  spent  the  first  night  at  Bristol,  and  the  second 
in  the  barracks  at  Trenton.  Here  Fox  and  Logan  took 
leave  of  them,  the  latter  delivering  a  message  to  the'N 
Six  Nations^  explanatory  of  the  massacre  of  the  Cones-[ 
toga  Indians,  and  sending  them  "twenty-one  black 
stroud  matchcoats"  for  the  relatives  of  the  deceased, 
that  they  might  *' cover  their  graves,"  and  "  twenty-one 
handkerchiefs  to  wipe  the  tears  from  their  own  eyes."  ' 

Apty  now  assumed  command,  and  led   the  Indians 
to  Princeton,  where  they  bivouacked  ou  Justice  Len- 
nert'b    plantation.      On    the    ninth    of  January   they 
reached  Amboy,   whence   they   were   to    sail,   in   two 
sloops,  to  New  York.     But,  ou  the  eve  of  embarking, 
an  express  arrived  with  a  letter  from  Governor  Golden 
to  Apty  forbidding  them  to  enter  his  Province,  and 
another  from  General  Gage  to  Captain  Robinson  order- 
ing him  to  prevent  their  advance.     The  reasons  which 
Golden  subsequently  assigned  for  this  course  were  the, 
following:^  That  his  Gouucil  unanimously  disapproved! 
of  receiving  the  Indians,  whom   the    government  of  \ 
New  Y<^rk  was  "  rather  disposed  to  attack  and  punish, 
than  to  support  and  protect;"  that  the  Indians  on  the 
east  side  of  the  Susquehanna  were  the  most  obnoxious 
to  the  people  of  New  York  of  any,  having  done  most 
mischief,  and  consisting  of  a  number  of  rogues  and 
thieves,  runaways  from    other   nations,  and    for   that) 
reason  not    to    be    trusted;    that  the  government  ofj 


1  Copy  of  the  speech  and  message.     MS.  B.  A. 

«  Letter  from  Golden  to  Gov,  Penn.    Penn.  Col.  Records,  ix.  120-122. 


Ill 


296 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


I 


fS:. 


Penusylvania  ought  first  to  have  consulted  the  gov- 
ernment of  New  York  before  sending  on  so  large  a 
body  of  natives.  All  this  was  the  necessary  result 
of  the  precipitancy  with  which  Governor  Penu  had 
acted. 

"While  Apty  sent  an  express  to  Philadelphia,  and 
another  to  Governor  Franklin,  of  New  Jersey,  for  in- 
structions, the  Indians  spent  eight  days  in  the  barracks 
of  Amboy,  holding  their  religious  services  as  usual, 
which  were  attended  by  many  visitors,  upon  whom 
their  singing  made  a  deep  impression.  Indeed,  this 
whole  unprecedented  pilgrimage  of  nearly  three  weeks, 
undertaken  by  the  Indian  Mission  and  its  teachers, 
through  one  of  the  most  thickly  populated  parts  of  the 
country,  seems  to  have  been  permitted  by  God,  in  order 
to  establish  the  glory  of  His  Gospel.  The  bearing  of 
the  converts  was  so  extraordinary,  so  humble,  and  yet 
manly,  so  clearly  the  result  of  the  Christian  faith  which 
they  professed,  that  the  reviler  forgot  his  revilements, 
and  the  scofter  looked  on  amazed.  Even  their  escorts 
of  soldiers,  among  whom  were  such  as  had  been  at 
Detroit  during  the  siege  and  hated  Indians  with  all 
the  bitterness  of  their  past  experience,  began  to  show 
them  respect. 

Governor  Penn  remanded  the  converts  to  Philadel- 
phia. In  a  message  to  the  Assembly,  he  said  :*  *'  I  am 
heartily  disposed  to  do  everything  in  my  power  to 
afford  these  poor  creatures  that  protection  and  security 


^  Fenn.  Col.  Becords,  ix.  122. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


297 


which,  under  their  circumstances,  they  have  an  un- 
doubted right  to  expect  and  claim  from  us,  and  shall  be 
glad  of  your  opinion  and  advice  in  what  manner  this 
can  most  eftectually  be  done."  To  these  sentiments  the 
Assembly  replied  by  advising  the  Governor  to  carry 
out  his  intentions,  if  necessary,  by  "  an  armed  force," 
adding :  "  It  will  be  with  the  utmost  regret  we  shall 
see  your  Honor  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  pursuing 
these  measures ;  but,  with  an  abhorrence  altogether 
inexpressible,  we  should  behold  '  these  poor  creatures,' 
who,  desirous  of  living  in  friendship  with  us,  as  proofs 
of  this  disposition,  quitting  a  settlement  that  made  them 
suspected,  and  surrendering  their  arms,  have  delivered 
themselves,  their  wives  and  children,  into  our  power,  on 
the  faith  of  this  Province,  barbarously  butchered  by  a 
set  of  ruffians  whose  audacious  cruelty  is  checked  by 
no  sentiment  of  humanity  and  by  no  regard  to  the  laws 
of  their  country."  * 

Robinson  and  his  command  having  gone  on  to  New 
York,  General  Gage  sent  a  guard  of  one  hundred  Royal) 
Americans  under  Captain  Schlosser  as  their  escort.  Onf 
the  eighteenth  of  January  they  left  Amboy,  and  reached} 
Philadelphia  in  the  afternoon  of  the  twenty-fourth, 
amid  a  heavy  snow-storm,  entering  the  barracks  without 
opposition. 

Three  days  later  Zeisberger  returned  to  Bethlehem. 
"While  recording  the  faith  of  these  converts,  we  must 
not  forget  the  tribute  of  praise   that  is  due  to  their 


>  Fenn.  Col.  Records,  iz.  122-125. 


298 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OP 


teachers.  It  was  no  ordinary  heroism  that  induced 
Zeisberger  and  his  brethren,  and  especially  frail  women 
like  Mrs.  Grube  and  Mrs.  Schmick,  to  stand  by  them 
amid  all  these  experiences,  braving  a  tempest  of  ridi- 
cule and  reproach  and  the  storms  of  one  of  the  severest 
winters. 

The  return  of  the  Indians  was  the  signal  for  renewed 
disturbances  in  the  frontier  counties.  The  people  met 
at  taverns  and  other  gathering-places  to  hear  i.be  news 
and  recount  their  grievances.  Self-constituted  orators 
harangued  them  and  advised  everything  that  fanati- 
cism against  the  aborigines,  hatred  of  the  Quakers,  and 
dissatisfaction  with  the  government  could  suggest. 
Toward  the  end  of  January,  a  body  of  insurgents,  va- 
riously estimated  at  from  five  hundred  to  fifteen  hun- 
dred men,  with  Matthew  Smith  as  a  prominent  leader, 
advanced  toward  Philadelphia,  avowing  their  purpose 
to  be  the  extermination  of  the  "Moravian  Indians"  and 
the  overthrow  of  that  Quaker  party  which  was  said  to 
control  the  government. 

In  the  beginning  of  February  intelligence  of  this 
movement  reached  the  city.  Popular  sentiment  was 
divided.  Many  respectable  persons  sympathized  with 
the  rioters,  although  they  did  not  approve  of  their  deeds 
of  blood,  and  censured  the  course  of  the  government; 
others,  among  whom  were  the  Quakers  and  nearly  all  the 
men  of  wealth  and  influence,  held  that  the  government 
must,  at  all  hazards,  redeem  its  pledge  to  the  Indians 
and  support  the  authority  of  the  laws.  Between  the 
Presbyterians  and  the  Society  of  Friends  there  prevailed 


DAVID  ZEJSBERQER. 


299 


induced 
1  vvomeu 
by  them 

of  ridi- 
severest 

renewed 
pie  met 
he  news 
orators 
t  fanati- 
ers,  and 
suggest, 
ants,  va- 
|en  huu- 
;  leader, 
purpose 
ns"  and 
said  to 

of  this 
Hit  was 
id  with 
r  deeds 
nment; 
'  all  the 
rnuient 
[udians 
en  the 
evailed 


such  bitterness  of  feeling  that  anonymous  advertise- 
ments appeared,  offering  a  reward  of  three  hundred 
pounds  for  the  scalps  of  certain  prominent  Quakers. 

The  drama  opened,  on  the  second  of  February,  with 
a  message  from  the  Governor  to  the  Assembly,  asking 
that  the  English  Riot  Act  be  extended  to  the  Province. 
This  was  done  by  a  decided  vote.*     In  the  forenoon  of 
the  fourth  the  Governor  and  Council  devised  means  of  i 
defense.    The  Indians  were  removed  to  the  second  story/ 
of  the  barracks ;  eight  cannon  were  planted,  a  stockade! 
was  erected  in  the  middle  of  the  yard,  and  Captain  \ 
Schlosser  received  written  instructions  "  to  defend  the 
Indians  to  the  utmost  of  his  power,  by  opposing,  withi 
the  detachment  of  the  king's  troops  under  his  command,! 
any  attempt'  to  destroy  them,  the  Riot  Act  being  first 
read  by  u  proper  civil  officer."'    In  the  afternoon  a 
general  town-meeting  was  called  at  the  State  House. 
Governor  Penn,  Ex-Governor  Hamilton,  the   Council, 
Benjamin  Franklin,  and  many  members  of  the  Assera- 1 
bly  were  present.     The  Riot  Act  having  been  communi-  / 
cated,  Benjamin   Chew,  a   councilman,  addressed  the  i 
meeting.     He  explained  the  posture  of  affairs,  appealing  j 
to  the  citizens  to  uphold  the  laws  and  sustain  the  gov- 
ernment ;  he  showed  that  this  was  not  the  time  to  de- 
termine whether  it  had  or  had  not  done  right  in  receiv- 
ing the  Indians,  but  that  these  must  now  be  protected, 
since  the  eacred  faith  of  Pennsylvania  had  been  plighted^ 


r\ 


1  Penn.  Col.  Records,  ix.  129,  131, 132. 
«  Penn.  Col.  Records,  ix.  182. 


800 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


to  them ;  he  read  a  letter  from  Sir  "William  Johnson, 
saying  that,  in  the  event  of  the  massacre  of  these  In- 
'  dians,  peace  with  the  Western  nationa  would  he  impos- 
eihle;  and  finally,  there  being  no  militia-law,  he  called 
for  volunteers.  About  five  hundred  persons  enrolled 
their  names,  and  were  formed  into  companies,  six  of 
which  were  of  infantry,  one  of  artillery,  and  two  of 
horse.  After  the  meeting  the  Governor  dispatched 
feorae  of  them  to  hold  the  ferries  across  the  Schuylkill 
Kiver,  and  then  proceeded  to  the  barracks,  where  he 
passed  the  night.  At  midnight  he  visited  the  Indians, 
and  assured  them  of  his  protection. 

The  next  day  was  Sunday,  and  the  city  remained 
comparatively  quiet,  except  at  the  barracks,  where  prep- 
arations for  defense  were  continued,  many  idlers  look- 
ing on  and  trying  to  get  a  sight  of  the  Indians.  These 
met  for  the  worship  of  God,  as  usual,  and  then  received 
visits  from  several  council-  and  assemblymen,  who  told 
them  that  they  would  be  shielded  whatever  might  hap- 
pen. Israel  Pemberton  stayed  with  them  through  the 
night,  and  a  guard  of  volunteers  joined  the  regulars. 
At  eleven  o'clock  the  Governor  received  intelligence 
that  the  insurgents  were  approaching  in  two  bodies  on 
the  Reading  and  the  Lancaster  roads.  The  Council  was 
immediately  convened;  it  sat  until  one  o'clock  of  Mon- 
day morning,  and  then  ordered  a  general  alarm.  In 
accordance  with  preconcerted  arrangements,  one  of  the 
field-pieces  at  the  barracks  was  discharged,  the  drums 
beat,  the  bells  were  rung,  candles  were  placed  in  the 
windows  of  the  houses,  and  the  volunteers  hurried  to 


DAVID   ZEISBERGER. 


301 


the  State  Ilouse  to  receive  their  arms.     Soon  a  coufused 
mass  of  people  tilled  the  streets,  especially  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  barracks,  many  of  them  very  much  ex- 
cited,  and  many  thoroughly   frightened.     The  rabble 
shouted  exultingly;  the  friends  of  the  insurgents  quietly  / 
enjoyed  the  prevailing  alarm ;   the  Germans  gathered 
around  the  Moravian  church  on  Race  Street,  and  vented  | 
their  spleen  by  cursing,  in  their  deep  vernacular,  Mora 
vians    in    general,   and    Moravian    Indians    in    partie 
ular;  a  number  of  young  Quakers  astonished  the  mul- ' 
titude  by  seizing  muskets  and  joining  the  volunteers,  \ 
so  that   by  daybreak   six    hundred   men   were   under' 
arms;  while  the  soldiers  at  the  barracks,  full  of  Zeal- 
and courage,  almost  fired  into  a  company  of  mounted 
butchers,  who  were  coming  up  Second  Street  to  aid  inj 
the  defense  of  the  city.    Franklin  and  Hamilton  were  at 
the  State  House  directing  the  troops,  Governor  Penn 
having  been  taken  ill,  so  that  he  was  obliged  to  retire i 
to  a  neighboring  house  on  Market  Street.*     Meanwhile' 
the    Indians,   the   cause  of  all   this  commotion,   were^ 
asleep. 

By  this  time  the  vanguard  of  the  insurgents,  com- 
posed of  two  hundred  men  and  led  by  Matthew  Smith, 
had  crossed  the  Schuylkill  at  Swedes'  Ford,  which 
had  remained  unguarded,  and  had  proceeded  to  Ger- 
mantowu.  The  measures  taken  for  their  reception, 
however,  prevented  their  advancing  to  the  city,  so  that 
the   night  of   Monday  passed   without   any  fresh  dis- 

>  Neisser'8  Letter  to  Marshall.  MS.  B.  A.  Another  account  saya 
that  he  fled  to  Franklin's  residence  from  fear  of  the  mob. 


302 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


turbynccs.  But  early  on  Tuesday  morning  another 
general  alarm  was  sounded.  Again  the  volunteers 
rushed  to  arms,  and  were  clamorous  for  an  assault. 
Instead  of  acceding  to  this  wish,  the  Governor,  in  spite 
of  the  protestations  of  many  citizens,  cent  Benjamin 
Franklin  and  several  other  commissioners  to  negotiate 
with  the  insurgents  and  persuade  them  to  disperse. 
They  gave  these  commissioners  a  respectful  hearing, 
stated  their  grievances,  appointed  Smith  and  James 
Gibson  to  set  them  forth  in  writing,  and,  finally,  as- 
serted that  among  the  Christian  Indians  were  several 
notorious  murderers,  whom  they  pledged  themselves  to 
identify.  Franklin  promised  them  redress  for  their 
grievances,  and  gave  them  permission  to  send  some  of 
their  party,  unarmed,  to  the  city,  in  order  to  point  out 
the  alleged  murderers.  Upon  this  they  agreed  to  return 
'to  their  homes. 

But  on  the  following  morning  a  third  alarm  was 
raised.  Four  hundred  men,  it  was  said,  were  approach- 
ing the  city.  This  thoroughly  roused  the  people,  and 
nearly  one  thousand  of  them  marched  forth  to  meet — 
forty  frontiersmen  peacefully  riding  to  Philadelphia,  as 
agreed  upon  with  Franklin.  Turning  back,  in  no  very 
placid  mood,  the  volunteers  were  dismissed  at  the  State 
House  with  the  thanks  of  the  government.  The  eity> 
which  for  days  had  been  a  military  camp,  resumed  its 
wonted  appearance ;  shops  were  reopened,  and  business 
was  transacted  as  usual.* 


•  Besides  the  Penn.  Col.  Records  already  cited,  the  following  are  my 
authorities  ior  the  narrative  I  have  given:   Marshall's  Journal,  MS. 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


303 


The  next  day,  IIusc,  one  of  the  commissioners  who 
had  been  sent  to  Germantown,  brought  to  the  barracks 
that  insurgent  who  was  pledged  to  identify  the  murder- 
ers. The  Indians  were  mustered,  but  he  confessed  that 
he  did  not  recognize  a  single  one.' 

Such  was  tho-Berio-comic  drama  of  the_Faxton  Insur- 
rection.    There  followed  an  afterpiece  less  penlous  but  J 
not  less  interesting.     Smith  and  Gibson  drew  up  two  I 
papers,  cjdled  a  Declaration  and  Remonstrance,  addressed 
to    the  Governor  and   the    Assembly,   rehearsing  the 
grievances   of  the   frontier  inhabitants,  attacking   the 
Quakers,  and  containing  flagrant  falsehoods  concerning 
the  Christian  Indians.*    Of  these  papers  the  Moravians^ 
took  no  notice ;  but  the  Quakers  issued  an  address,  in 
which  they  defended  themselves  against  the  aspersions, 
of  the  borderers.'    Thereupon  the  press  began  to  teem 
with  pamphlets,   farces,  dialogues,   and  poems.      Thej 
scurrility  of  some  of  these  publications  is  unprecedcntedj 

At  this  late  day  it  is  not  hard  to  form  an  impartial 
opinion  of  the  Paxtou  Insurrection.  While  the  blood- 
thirstiness  of  the  insurgents  deserves  to  be  condemned. 


B.  A.;  Orube'8  Diary,  MS.  B.  A.;  Tho  Pennsylvania  Gozotto  of  Febru- 
ary 9,  1704,  preserved  in  tho  B.  A.;  Tho  New  York  Qazctto  of  March  5, 
1764,  containing  a  letter  from  an  eye-witness  describing  tho  insurrec- 
tion ;  and  especially  a  MS.  letter  in  tho  B.  A.  from  tho  Kcv.  George 
Neisser  to  Marshall,  dated  Feb.  fi,  1764,  giving  a  full  account  of  all  that 
transpired  in  tho  city  up  to  that  date. 

•  The  report  which  spread  after  this  visit,  that  thcQunkcrs  had  secreted-^ 
the  guilty  Indians,  is  so  evidently  a  fabrication,  owing  its  origin  to  the' 
chagrin  of  tho  Paxton  party,  that  it  needs  no  refutation. 

»  The  N.  Y.  Gazette  of  March  5, 1764. 

»  Tho  Penn.  Gazette  of  March  1,  1764. 


"  1 


i  " 


lu 


% 


804 


LJFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


their  sentiments  and  those  of  their  fellow-frontiersmen, 
with  regard  to  the  Indians,  are  explained  by  the  atroci- 
'  ties  of  the  savages  and  their  own  indescribable  suiFcr- 
ings.  The  great  error  into  which  they  fell  was  inability, 
ior  unwillingness,  to  make  a  distinction  between  Pon- 
tiac's  cruel  warriors,  and  God's  converted  children,  who, 
for  the  sake  of  Jesus  Christ,  had  given  up  all  chat  an 
Indian  prizes.*  Ajcentury  has  elapsed  sincethePon- 
tiac^onsgiracj,  and,  whUe  we^vmtCj^an^  Indi^^ 
raging  in  Minnesota,*  where  the  enormities  of  the  sav- 
ages are  so  great  that  many  voices,  and  among  them 
those  of  worthy  citizens,  are  heard,  as  of  old,  demand- 
ling  the  extirpation  of  the  aborigines  as  a  race.  This 
iiwas  the  feeling  which  actuated  the  frontiersmen  of 
I  Pennsylvania  in  1763. 

After  the  disturbances  caused  by  the  Paxton  party 
were  over,  the  Christian  Indians  became  the  object 
of  general  curiosity,  so  that  the  barracks  were  often 
crowded  with  visitors.  On  the  twenty-fifth  of  February 
they  celebrated  the  Holy  Communion,  for  the  first  time 
since  their  departure  from  Nain  and  Wechquetank. 
Their  hymns  of  praise  swelled  triumphantly  through 
the  building. 

In  March,  Zeisberger  again  joined  them,  as  they 
expected  to  go  to  New  York,  whither  both  their 
friends   and   foes   were    anxious   that  they   should  be 


1  A  wholly  one-sided  article  upon  the  Paxton  Insurrection  in  the 
Presbyterian  Quarterly  Review  of  April,  1860,  fails  to  make  the  same 
distinction. 

'  The  above  was  written  in  1863. 


DAVJD  ZEISDERGER. 


805 


tiersmen, 
le  atroci- 
le  auffer- 
inabillty, 

en  Pon- 
•cn,  who, 

that  an 
jie  Pon- 
n  war  ia 

the  sav- 
ng  them 
deraand- 
This 
smen  of 

3n  party 
e  object 
sre  often 
February 
irst  time 
quetank. 
through 

as  they 
:h  their 
ould  be 

ion  in  the 
I  the  same 


sent.*  To  this  end  the  Governor  had  dispatched 
Thomas  Apty  to  Sir  William  Johnson,  who  expressed 
his  willingness  to  receive  them.  But  Golden  and  his 
Council  again  interfered,  declining  to  allow  them  to 
pass  through  New  York.  General  Gage  was  also  op- 
posed to  their  removal.'  They  now  begged  Governor 
Penn  to  have  them  conveyed  to  the  Pennsylvania 
frontier,  where  they  would  care  for  themselves.  But 
to  this  he  could  not  consent,  as  long  as  the  war 
lasted.  His  refusal  was  a  sore  trial.  Many  began  to 
lose  heart;  some  were  almost  in  despair.  They  sighed 
for  their  forests,  for  the  liberty  of  the  chase,  for  that 
way  of  living  which  was  essential  to  ♦heir  happiness. 
It  was  worse  than  death  to  be  immured  in  the  British 
barracks.  To  add  to  their  afflictions,  the  dysentery 
and  the  small-pox  broke  out.  Zeisberger  spent  two 
months  in  Philadelphia,  helping  Grube  and  Schmick  tO' 
cheer  them.  But  it  was  a  hard  task,  as  the  journals  of 
the  missionaries  show.  Men  of  less  devotedness  and 
faith  would  have  given  up  the  cause  as  hopeless.  lj[^ 
less  than^ftyjaJaL-Of  the  converts  died  jg„,tlie_cgLiirse  of 
the  summer  and  autumn. 

Among  these  was  old  Jacob  and  his  daughter-in-law, 
the  wife  of  Renatus.    The  latter  was  still  in  prison ;  but, 
soon  after  this,  his  trial  took  place  at  Easton,  and  hej 
was  fully  acquitted. 

Toward   the  end  of   September  (1763)  the  savages 


>  MS.  letter  from  Lewis  Weiss  to  Marshall,  March  2,  1764.    B.  A. 
»  Penn.  Archives,  iv.  165,  167, 168.     Col.  Records,  ix.  170, 171. 

20 


73^2 


,^p,s,..,y^..   .^^.„., 


I        ' 


3u6 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


raised  the  siege  of  Detroit,  and.  Gladwyn  conclndea  a 
truce  with  several  of  their  tribes.  A  month  later,  the 
French  commandant  at  Fort  Chartres,  which  post  had 
not  yet  been  delivered  to  the  English,  sent  a  letter,  by 
request  of  General  Amherst,  to  the  Indians  around 
Detroit,  assuring  them  that  their  expectations  of  aid 
from  France  were  vain.  This  served  to  cool  their  ardor; 
and,  in  the  following  spring,  when  they  heard  of  the 
formidable  expeditions  which  were  being  organized  for 
their  subjugation,  they  lost  heart  entirely.  One  of  these 
expeditions,  under  Colonel  Bradstreet,  proceeded  to 
Detroit,  where  the  Indians  hastened  to  sue  for  peace, 
which  was  concluded  in  September,  and  embraced 
Pontiac,  although  he  was  not  present.  The  other, 
under  Colonel  Bouquet,  penetrated  the  Delaware 
country  as  far  as  the  Muskingum,  and  forced  this 
nation,  as  well  as  the  Shawanese,  to  laY  down  the 
hatchet  and  give  up  their  prisoners.  The^ontiagJt^Jai 
"vyfigjit  an  en^l. 

On  the  sixth  of  December,  Governor  Penn  issued  a 
proclamation  announcing  this  auspicious  event.  The 
way  to  their  own  country  was  now  open  to  the  Chris- 
man  Indians.  On  the  twentieth  of  March,  1765,  they 
jleft  the  British  barracks,  after  having  passed  one  year 
land  four  months  in  Philadelphia,  and  after  having  borne 
jnearly  one-half  of  their  number  to  potter's-field. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


307 


CHAPTER   XVI. 


ZEISBERGER  AT  FRIEDENSIIUTTEX.— 1765-1766. 


The  Christian  Indians  return  to  Xain  and  romovo  to  Macbiwihilaslng  on 
the  Susquehanna. — Zeisberger  appointed  resident  missionary. — In- 
structions of  the  Board. — Distressing  journey  across  the  Broad  Mount- 
ain and  through  the  Great  Swamp. — A  forest  on  fire. — A  new  town  is 
built  at  Machiwihilusing. — Happiness  of  the  converts. — Illness  of  Zeis- 
berger. — Grant  of  flour  and  blankets. — A  revival  begins. — The  Go.^pel 
made  known  among  many  tribes  through  the  agency  of  the  Mission. 
— Zeisborgor's  account  of  the  revival. — Nitschmann  "the  Syndic"  at 
Bethlehem. — The  Iroquois  deputy  at  Cayuga  Town  forbids  the  Chris- 
tian Indians  to  remain  on  the  Susquehanna. — Newallike,  the  Dela- 
ware — A  deputation,  led  by  Zoisberger,  visits  Cayuga  Town. — Grant 
of  land  to  the  Christian  Indians. — They  enlarge  their  town  and  intro- 
duce municipal  regulations. — The  Christian  Indians  send  a  bel'  of 
wampum  to  the  General  Board  of  the  Moravian  Church  in  Europe. — 
Their  town  named  Friedenshiitten. — Its  size  and  population. — Zeis- 
berger  recalled  from  Friedenshiitten. — His  last  visit  to  Onondaga. — 
The  Iroquois  Mission  abandoned  by  the  Moravians. 

On  the  twenty-second  of  March  the  Indians  returned  i 
to  Nain,  and  its  empty  houses  and  deserted  square  oneeV 
more  and  for  the  last  time  saw  the  life  of  a  settlemeixtl 
of  Christian  natives.     But  it  was  not  the  life  of  former  \ 
.days.     Eighty-three  persons  constituted  the  entire  body  ) 
of  converts,  and,  with  the  exception  of  a  handful  atf 
Pachgatgoch,  the  whole  remnant  of  the  once  flourishing] 
Mission.    Nor  could  the  survivors  remain  at  Nain.    The 
senders  were  still  too  much  excited  by  the  events  of  the 
war  to  permit  an  Indian  town  in  the  midst  of  their 
farms.     There  woui.l  be,  moreover,  no  opportunity  of 


.^^:^f^^^^,,^^„^^„^,,.      ,, ,.„..... ,..„MI.,UiJM»JPUI«^ll1H^ 


308 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


V-.' 


r 


/ 


making  it  the  center  of  new  enterprises  among  heathen 
tribes. 

Influenced  by  such  considerations,  and  following  a 
suggestion    of  the    converts   themselves,   the    Mission 
Board    resolved    to    place    them    at    Machiwihilusing, 
where    lay  hunting-grounds  in  their  original  wildness, 
and  several  tracts  already  cleared.     Zeisbergcr  was  ap- 
pointed resident  missionary,  and  Schmick  his  assistant 
on  the  journey.     They  received  written  instructions  in 
'  substance  as  follows :  ^ It  shall^be  the  4uty  pf  the  mis- 
I  sionaries  to  study  the  Indian  huiguages ;  to  train  native 
assistants;  to  teach  the  Indians  to  read  and  write;  to 
translate  into  Delaware  all  the  most  important  parts  of 
the  Bible,  and  as  many  hymns  as  possible;   to  instill 
principles  of  peace  into  the  hearts  of  their  converts,  so 
that  in  the  event  of  another  war  they  may  conduct 
themselves  as  children  of  peace,  and  in  the  event  of 
persecutions,  may  forgive  their  enemies,  and  leave  their 
cause  to  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth,  who  will  do  right ; 
I  to  educate  the  congregation  in  the  idea  that  whatever 
!  nationalities  it  represents  and  tribal  distinctions  it  em- 
braces, the  Christian  Indians  are  all  one  in  the  Lord 
,  Jesus  Christ. 

The  houses  of  Nain  having  been  sold  at  public  auc- 
tion^ and  a  farewell-service  held,  that  seat  of  native  cul- 


1  Original  Instructions.    MS.  B.  A. 

» They  wore  bought  by  inhabitants  of  Bethlehem,  and  six  of  them, 
among  these  the  chapel,  removed  to  that  town  (Bethlehem  Diary,  1765, 
MS.  B.  A.),  whore  one  of  them  remains.  The  land  at  Nain  was  put  in 
charge  of  a  tenant. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


309 


ture  was  deserted  (April  3),  and,  like  so  many  other 
similar  places,  thereafter  never  again  known  us  a  Chris- 
tian village.     Ere  long  the  plowshare  upturned  its  site. 

Escorted  by  Thomas  Apty,  the  Commissary  of  the 
government,  Sherift"  Kichliue,  Justice  Moore,  and  Lieu- 
tenant Ilundsccker,  and  led  by  Zeisbergor,  the  Indians 
proceeded  to  the  Rose  Tavern,^  whore  Marshall  wel- 
comed them,  and  whither  many  of  their  brethren  "after 
the  common  faith,"  from  Nazareth  and  Christiansbrunn, 
came  to  wish  them  God-speed.  The  evening  saw  them 
encamped  at  the  foot  of  the  Blue  Mountains,  and  the 
next  day  they  built  a  little  hamlet  of  bark-huts  on  the 
desolate  site  of  Wechquetank  and  amid  its  cheerless 
ruins.  There  they  spent  the  Holy  Passion-week,  and 
engaged  in  all  its  services. 

On  the  eleventh  of  April  their  journey  was  resumed. 
In  order  to  open  a  new  and  direct  trail  from  the  Susque- 
hanna to  the  settlements,  they  crossed  the  occep  ridges 
of  Monroe  County,  climbed  the  Broad  Mountain,  and 
traversed  the  Great  Swamp,  cutting  a  road  through  for- 
ests and  tangled  underwood,  bridging  creeks,  and  laying 
tree-trunks  over  deep  sloughs.  But  the  hardships  of 
this  undertaking  were  almost  too  severe  even  for  the 
natives.  Unable  to  advance  more  than  five  miles  a  day, 
two  long  and  distressing  weeks  were  spent  in  such 
work,  and,  suffering  painfully  from  hunger,  much  time 


1  A  house  of  entertainment  built  by  and  belonging  to  tbo  Moravians, 
about  one  mile  to  the  northeast  of  Nazareth.  The  Colonial  Governors 
of  Pennsylvania  often  stopped  there  when  they  were  out  grouse  shoot- 
ing.   The  old  building  was  torn  down  only  a  few  years  ago. 


310 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


y  -■. 


was  lost  in  hunting.     On  one  occasion  their  want  of 

]■  ;  food  was  so  great,  and  the  cry  of  famished  women  and 

y\-      '  children  so  heart-rending,  that,  while  some  of  the  most 

'^j*'     /^  .  expert  hunters  went  out  just  hefore  dark  to  shoot  game, 

r  I  Zoisberger  and  Schmick  betook  themselves  to  prayer. 

Their  intercessions  were  answered.     The  hunters  came 

'  back  with  six  deer. 

At  another  time  they  were  delivered  from  a  different 
but  not  less  fearful  peril.  The  congregation,  encamped 
in  a  thick  wood,  lay  sleeping.  Suddenly  the  sentinels 
were  startled  by  a  loud,  crackling  noise.  They  knew 
what  it  portended,  and  gave  the  alarm.  The  wood 
was  wrapped  in  a  blazing  sheet  of  lire.  Gathering 
the  women  and  children  to  the  center  of  the  camp,  and 
bringing  in  the  horses,  the  Indians  encircled  it,  and 
kindled  a  counter-lire.  It  soon  spread  among  the  pine- 
trees;  a  second  volume  of  flames,  with  fiery  strides, 
leaped  roaring  lo  meet  the  first.  The  sight  was  grand 
but  terrific.  Night  was  transformed  into  day.  For 
three  hours  this  conflagration  raged,  sweeping  down 
the  tallest  trees,  devouring  the  forest  with  insatiable 
fur}',  and  covering  the  firmament  with  a  pall  of  smoke. 
The  following  day  they  reached  the  Susquehanna,  ten 
miles  above  Wyoming,  and,  borrowing  canoes  of  the 
natives,  arrived  at  Machiwihilusing  a  fortnight  later 
(May  9).  Their  journey  from  Nain  had  occupied  five 
weeks. 

A  three  days'  hunt  was  first  undertaken,  and  crowned 
with  great  success.  Meanwhilo  Zeisberger,  Schmick, 
and  Papunhank,  selecting  the  site  of  the  old  village. 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


311 


want  of 
neii  and 
ho  most 
ot  game, 
prayer. 
3ra  came 

different 
leamped 
sentinels 
ey  knew 
le  wood 
atliering 
imp,  and 
\  it,  and 
he  pine- 
'  strides, 
IS  grand 
ly.  For 
ig  down 
iisatiable 
i"  smoke, 
nna,  ten 
3  of  the 
:ht  later 
jied  five 

crowned 

Ichmick, 

village, 


laid  out  a  town,  and  staked  off  plantations.  A  mcssageN 
was  sent  to  Togahaju,  the  Iroquois  sachem  at  Cayuga/ 
Town,  who  ruled  this  part  of  the  Delaware  dependencies  f 
of  the  League,  asking  his  permission  to  begin  a  settle-! 
ment. 

Delivered  from  the  restraints  of  that  city  which  had 
been  to  them  a  prison-house;  at  home  again  in  the 
forests  of  their  fathers'  hunting-grounds,  in  the  canoes 
tliat  glided  over  the  familiar  waters  of  the  Susquehanna, 
in  the  cornfields  where  many  of  their  women  had  been 
accustomed  to  labor,  the  converts  were  tilled  with 
gratitude  and  joy.  The  stoical  indifference  into  which 
even  a  Christian  Indian  relapses  had  disappeared ;  they  , 
were  all  rejuvenated.  Here  were  men  laboring  with 
the  energy  of  civilization,  there  women  and  children 
eager  to  do  their  part.  The  new  town  which  came  into 
existence  rang  with  the  melody  of  praise  even  while  it 
was  being  built.  In  every  place  the  feelings  of  the 
people  burse  into  song.  And  when  they  went  out  to 
the  chase,  or  fished  in  the  river;  when  they  roamed 
through  the  woods  gathering  roots  and  herbs ;  the  game 
that  they  found,  the  fishes  that  they  caught,  and  every- 
thing that  grew  upon  the  ground,  seemed  given  to  them 
by  a  special  act  of  Providence.^  "Behold,"  said  Zeis- 
berger,  as  he  saw  this  general  happiness,  and  heard 
fome  of  his  own  Delaware  hymns  echoing  through  the 
forest,  *'  t  iis  is  making  good  use  of  their  liberty !  Be 
ginning  i  leir  work  in  this  way,  God  will  richly  bless 


V- 


^ 


44^ 


»  Heckewelder's  MS.  Biographicui  Sketch. 


'1      i 


II 


II 


N 


^ 


d 


r . 


312 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


them.    Under  such  circumstances  it  is  joy  to  be  among 
the  Indians."* 

Soon  after  this,  Zeisberger  was  prostrated  with  sick- 
ness, induced  by  the  unusual  fatigues  of  the  journey 
from  Nain,  and  was  obliged  to  intrust  the  Mission  to 
young  Ileckewelder,  whom  the  Board  had  sent  to  his 
i  relief.  In  summer,  however,  his  health  improved  so 
much  that  he  led  the  Indians  to  Nazareth  and  Chris- 
tiansbrunn,  where  a  liberal  grant  of  flour  from  the 
Colonial  government,  and  a  lot  of  blankets  from  the 
Moravians  of  Germany,  were  distributed. 

But  God  had  in  store  for  them  a  better  benefaction. 

In  October,  the  first  baptism  took  place,  and  proved 

to  be  the  beginning  of  a  great  revival.     Not  a  few  were 

.converted.     Upon  wild  Indians,  in  particular,  descended 

the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.     They  came  from  far  and 

near,  and  represented  different  nations.     Mohawks  and 

Qpyugas,  ^ne(;4as  and  Ononda^as,  Moltlct^ns  and  Wam- 

panc^gs,  Delawai;es  and  'J^utelas,  Xuscajr^r^s  and  yaxiti- 

1  ^^S? — these  all  heard  the  Word  of  Salvation.     Many 

I  went  their  way  believing,  and   scattered  among  their 

own  tribes  the  seed  of  truth. 

This  feature  of  the  Mission  is  apt  to  be  overlooked. 

Statistical  tables  are  counted  the  law  of  success.    But, 

however  correct  this  may  in  general  be,  success  was 

»  conditioned,  in  the  case  of  the  aborigines  of  our  country, 

•  not  alone  by  the  number  actually  added  to  the  Church 

[through  baptism.     The  impression  made   upon  indi- 

1  Heckewelder'E  MS.  Biographical  Sketch. 


nth.  sick- 
3  journey 
ission  to 
lit  to  liis 
>roved  so 
id  Chris- 
rom  the 
from  the 

lefaction. 
d  proved 
few  were 
escended 
a  far  and 
■wka  and 
id  Wam- 

i.  Many 
ng  their 

jrlooked. 
58.  But, 
3es8  was 
country, 
I  Church 
an  indi- 


-X — 


DAVID  ZEJSBEROER. 


313 


viduals  who  never  built  themselves  lodges  in  Christian 
villages;  the  impulse  which  visiting  warriors  received 
to  aims  higher  and  holier  than  those  of  barbarism ;  | 
above  all,  the  ray  of  light  from  the  Cross  streaming  intOj' 
their  souls  as  they  sat  in  some  forest-sanctuary,  or  stood, 
in  the  shade  of  a  tree  beneath  which  a  traveling  mis- 
sionary had  stopped  to  proclaim  Christ — a  light,  perhaps, 
never  quenched,  but.  intensified  through  the  spirit  of 
God,  showing  grace,  forgiveness,  and  heaven — this,  too, 
must  be  taken   into    account.     Many  a  death-bed,  i:t 
which  no  evangelist  ever  prayed,  may  thus  have  beenj 
cheered  by  the  presence  of  the  Christian's  hope ;  many  a 
wigwam,  never  visited  by  a  messenger  of  peace,  may 
thus  have  become  a  home  of  peace. 

The  correctness  of  these  positions  will  be  established 
by  the  further  narrative  of  Zeisberger's  labors.    His  own 
testimony  to  the  efficacy  of  the  influences  exerted  in  this 
respect  by  the  present  revival  is  important.     "  For  sev- 1 
eral  months,"  he  writes  to  the  Board,  "a  great  revival'   "^-' 
has  been  prevailing  among  the  wild  Indians  who  visits,  .- 
here.      All  those  who  attend  our  services  are  deeply  '  ^x^ 
impressed,  and  cannot  hear  too  much  of  the  Saviour.-,      "Q^ 
It  often  happens,  while  I  preach,  that  the  power  of  the 
Gospel  takes  such  hold  of  them  that  they  tremble  with 
emotion   and   shake  with  fear,  until   consciousness  is' 
nearly  gone  and  they  seem  to  be  on  the  point  of  faint-) 
ing.     This  shows  with  what  violence  the  principalities 
in  them  oppose  the  "Word  of  the  Cross.     As  soon  as 
such  a  paroxysm  is  over,  they  generally  begin  to  weep 
silent  tears.    We  have  many  candidates  for  baptism.^ 


m 


i 

■i 

■i  ,  mMi 

1      i:  1 

1 

1 

'i    m 

^ 


814 


LTFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


Anthony,  who  enjoys  tlie  particular  esteem  of  the  In- 
dians, sets  forth  the  Saviour  with  such  feeling  that  not 
unfrequently  his  auditors  all  hurst  into  tears,  and  he  is 
constrained  to  weep  with  them."' 

.  No  one  rejoiced  more  sincerely  over  news  like  this 
than  David Nitschmann,  "the  Syndic,"  who  had  reached 
America  on  an  ofdcial  visit.''  Zeisherger,  who  happened 
to  be  at  Bethlehem  when  he  arrived,  found  in  hira  a 
countryman  and  a  friend, — one  of  thcDC  five  young  Mo- 
I'avians  who  came  to  Ilerrnhut,  exiles  for  conscience' 
sake,  just  as  Count  Zinzendorf,  surrounded  by  the  little 
band  of  fugitives  who  had  preceded  them,  was  on  the 
point  of  laying  the  corner-stone  for  the  first  house  of 
worship  in  that  infant  settlement,  and  in  time  to  hear 
the  memorable  prayer  of  his  coadjutor.  Baron  de  Wat- 
teville,  which  foretold  the  resuscitation  of  the  Church 
and  her  future  missionary  labors. 

The  embassy  sent  to  Togahaju  in  the  summer  of 
1765  had  not  been  successful.  He  refused  to  permit 
the  converts  to  build  a  town  at  Machiwihilusing, 
because  it  "was  stained  with  blood,"  but  invited  them 
to  settle  at  the  head  of  Lake  Cayuga.     The  deputies 


»  Copy  of  letter,  dated  Jan.  20, 176G,  in  Bethlehem  Diary  of  Jan.  17C6. 
MS.  B.  A. 

*  A  member  of  the  Executive  Board  in  Europe.  He  arrived  at  Beth- 
flohom  Nov.  28, 17G5.  His  title  "Syndic  "  referred  to  the  jilice  he  filled 
j  in  the  time  of  Count  Zinzendorf,  when  ho  negotiated,  as  the  represent- 
Sativo  of  the  Church,  with  various  European  governments.  Besides 
';  itinerating  in  Germany,  ho  visited  Denmark,  England,  Kussia,  Switzer- 
■j  land,  North  America,  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  the  Island  of  Ceylon. 
f  After  his  return  from  America  he  became  the  Archivist  of  the  Unitas 
iFratrum,  and  died  at  Zeist,  in  Holland,  in  1779. 


n 


DAVID   ZEISBERGER. 


315 


^ 


promised  to  lay  his  decision  before  their  people,  and  to 
send  an  answer  "when  the  corn  would  be  ripe."  Un- 
fortunately, however,  they  failed  to  do  this.  And 
now  the  sachem  dispatched  a  runner  to  the  Susque- 
hanna with  the  following  message :  "  Cousins  !  What 
kind  of  corn  have  you  at  Machiwihilusing?  You  prom- 
ised an  answer  to  my  proposition  when  your  corn  would 
be  ripe.  My  corn  has  been  ripe  long  ago.  It  is  nearly 
consumed.  I  think  of  soon  planting  again.  Why  do 
you  not  fulfill  your  promise  ?" 

This  caused  great  consternation  at  the  Mission.  The 
authority  of  Togahaju  was  so  great,  and  the  fear  which 
the  Iroquois  League  inspired  so  general,  that  the  Chris- 
tian Indians  deemed  it  necessary  to  cor  filiate  the  sa- 
chem by  every  proper  means  within  their  reach.  Hence 
they  applied  to  Newallike,  an  influential  chief  of  the 
Delawares,  at  Wechpakak,  on  the  Tunkhannock,  to 
plead  their  cause,  but  he  ungraciously  refused.  There- 
upon Zeisberger  oflered  to  negotiate  with  Togahaju, 
and  persuaded  them  to  elect  four  of  their  number  as  his 
assistants.  This  embassy  proceeded  to  Cayuga  Town, 
where  the  sachem  and  his  council  received  them.  For 
the  converts  it  was  an  august  assembly,  which  they  en- 
tered with  awe.  Encouraged  by  the  words  and  pres- 
ence of  Zeisberger,  however,  they  soon  regained  their 
self-possession,  and  delivered  a  succession  of  speeches, 
which  he  interpreted,  setting  forth  the  necessities  and 
wishes  of  the  Mission,  as  well  as  the  advantages  which 
Machiwihilusing  offered,  with  such  sagacity  and  elo- 
quence that  they  gained  their  point.    Zeisberger,  too, 


V<i 


i 


316 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


«;. 


»  •  •• 


y 


H 


/ 


i 


S> 


i* 


V 


addressed  the  council,  and  8pokej3anadQp]^J[i:gJia^oi8, 

_w^2hadji  claim  on  the  liberality  of Jhe  Lea^ie.     The 

/"       result  was  a  formal  grant  of  land  at  Machiwihilusing, 

extending  along  the  river  "  as  far  as  a  man  can  Avalk  in 

two  days." 

Upon  the  return  of  the  embassy,  the  town  was  en- 
/larged,  and  a  code  of  municipal  laws  adopted.  Traders 
were  forbidden  to  stay  more  than  two  or  three  days  at 
a  time;  and  such  heathen  Indians  as  came  merely  to 
enjoy  the  outward  advantages  of  the  settlement,  and 
not  to  hear  the  Gospel,  were  no  longer  allowed  to  build 
lodges.  A  Synod,  held  at  Bethlehem  in  May,  gave  to  it 
,  the  appropriate  name  of  FrkdenshMien^  or  Tents  of 
Peace.  Of  this  Synod  Nitschmann  was  the  president, 
and  received,  soon  after  its  adjournment,  a  deputation 
'  of  converts,  with  Anthony  at  their  head.  They  deliv- 
ered a  belt  of  wampum  and  a  written  speech  to  be  pre- 
sented to  the  Executive  Board  in  Europe  in  the  name 
of  the  Christian  Indians. 

FriedenshUtten  continued  to  prosper,  until  it  grew 
to  be  a  settlement  that  excited  the  admiration  of  every 
visitor,  and  that  we  even,  of  to-day,  must  look  upon 
as  a  wonderful  instance  of  the  civilizing  power  of  the 
Mission.  It  embraced  twenty-nine  log-houses,  with 
windows  and  chimneys,  like  the  homesteads  of  the  set- 
tlers, and  thirteen  huts,  forming  one  street,  in  the  center 
of  which  stood  the  chapel,  thirty-two  by  twenty-four 
feet,  roofed  with  shingles,  and  having  a  school-house  as 
its  wing.  Immediately  opposite,  on  the  left  side  of  the 
street,  was  the  Mission  House.     Each  lot  had  a  front  of 


.'AJ 


IZ^^'*^ 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


317 


tbirty-t\vo  feet,  and  between  every  two  lots  was  an  alley 
ten  feet  wide.  Back  of  the  houses  were  the  gardens 
and  orchards,  stocked  with  vegetables  and  fruit-trees. 
The  entire  town  was  surrounded  by  a  post  and  rail 
fence,  and  kept  scrupulously  clean.  In  summer,  a 
party  of  women  passed  through  the  street  and  alleys, 
sweeping  them  with  wooden  brooms,  and  removing  the 
rubbish.  Stretching  down  to  the  river  lay  two  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  of  plantations  and  meadows,  with  two 
miles  of  fences ;  and  moored  to  the  bank  was  found  a 
canoe  for  each  household  of  the  community.  The 
converts  had  large  herds  of  cattle  and  hogs,  and  poultry 
of  every  kind  in  abundance.  They  devoted  more  time 
to  tilling  the  ground  than  to  hunting,  and  raised  plenti- 
ful crops.  Their  trade  was  considerable  in  corn,  maple- 
sugar,  bucter,  and  pork,  which  they  sold  to  the  Indians; 
as  also  in  canoes,  made  of  white  pine,  and  bought  by 
the  settlers  living  along  the  Susquehanna,  some  of  them 
as   far  as   one  hundr'>d  miles  below  Friedenshiitten.* 


1  List  of  Houses  and  Plan  of  the  Tmvn.     B.  A.     Heekcwelder' s  Report  ', 
of  the  Indian   Mission   to    the  Society  for  Propagating    the   Gospel. 
Friedenshiitten  lay  in  Bradford  County,  Pennsylvania,  about  two  miles 
from  the  present  mouth  of  th«  Wyalusing  Creek,  on  the  east  side  of  tho 
Susquehanna,  and  on  land  now  owned  by  the  Hon.  Levi  P.  Stalford, 
whose  father  and  grandfather  were  on  tho  pi-eiiiises  before  him,  and  \ 
whose  great-grandfather,  Gen.  Henry  Pawling,  who  was  with  Washing-  ! 
ton  at  Valley  Forge,  purchased  the  tract  from  the  Indians.    The  site  is 
two  miles  below  Wyalusing,  and  one  and  a  half  miles  above  Browntown  i 
Post-oflBce.    Sugar  Run  is  just  opposite,  on  the  west  side  of  the  river. 
For  this  interesting  and  valuable  information  I  am  indebted  to  the  Kev.  : 
David  Craft,  pastor  of  tho  Presbyterian  Church  at  Wyalusing,  who  • 
identified  the  site,  drew  a  plan  of  it,  and  had  a  large  photographic  view 
of  the  neighborhood  taken.     Tho  mouth  of  Wyalusing  Creek  is  nojt. 
nearly  a  mile  above  where  it  was  in  Zcisbergei  's  time. 


J 


K 


i 


h-i; 


it  i 


"  S:i 


!■  I 


818 


LIFE  AXD   TIMES  OF 


[The  population  had  increased,  from  tho  remnant  that 
(left  the  Philadelpliia  barracks,  to  one  hundred  and  fifty 
Bouls. 

In  September,  Zeisberger  was  rccalledj  and  Schmick 
took  his  phice  as  resident  missionary.  A  report  had 
spread  that  tho  Iroquois  Council  had  pronounced  the 
grant  made  by  Togahaju  null  and  void.  However 
improbable  this  seemed,  the  issues  at  stake  justified 
every  precaution,  and  Zeisberger  was  sent  to  Onondaga 
to  ascertain  tho  truth.  Gottlob  Sensoman  accompanied 
him.' 

They  reached    the   capital   after  a   journey  of   four 
weeks,  by  way  of  Zeniinge,  and   met  the   Council  iu 
the  Long  House,  over  which  floated  tho  British  flag. 
Zeisberger    addressed    [\\o    sachems    in    an    elaborate 
speech,  in  whicii  he  rehearsed  the  history  of  the  Mis- 
sion, set  forth  the  purpose  of  the  Church   to  convert 
the  Indians,  and  demanded  to  know  whether  Togahaju 
had  acted  on  his  owi.^    responsibility,  in   granting  the 
'  Christian  Indians  land,  or  with  the  consent  of  his  peers. 
.Thereupon   he  proceeded  to  Cayuga  Town,  and  con- 
jferred  with  Togahaju  himself.     He  was  determined  to 
i  do  all  in  his  power  to  establish  the  title  of  the  Mission, 
land  bore  himself,  throughout  these  negotiations,  with 
^nusual  dignity. 

The  sachem  assured  him  that  the  report  which  had 
been  brought  to  FriedenshUtten  was  untrue ;   and,  on 


/■    1  The  son  of  Joachim  and  Catharine  Senscman,  one  of  the  victims  of 
jtho  massacre  on  tho  Mi;hony.    His  father  had  gone  to  Jamaica,  as  a 


]  missionary  among  tho  slaves. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGKR. 


319 


Lis  return  to  Onondaga,  the  Council  gave  the  following; 
answer  to  his  speech  :    "  The  grant  of  land  made,  last 
spring,  l)y  Sanunawuentowa  (the  great  pipe  of  peace) — 
which  was    the    title   of   the    sachemship  with  which 
Togahaju    had    been    invested — is     approved    by   the 
Council.     The  Aquanoschioni  have  a  tiro  at  Friedens- 
hiitten;    let   their  Christian   cousins,  and   the   teachers 
of  their  Christian   cousins,  guard   it  well.     Newallike, 
the  Delaware,  baa  no   authority  in   tlic  town;  let  him  \ 
not  venture  to  usui-p  auth'^-ity.     Their  Christian  cousins  ' 
are  to  consult  directly  with  the  Council,  or  with  Sanuna- 
waentowa,  its  accredited  deputy."  "^ 

Tbo_8achcm3  treated  Zeisberger  with  great  distinction, 
and  beg]g:od  hirri  tojLakc^up  his  residence  iitjOiioiidagai 
a3_of^ldjjvher^  his  Mission  IIouso  was  still  standing^ 
His  answer  was:  "  I  am  glad  that  you  still  acknowledge- 
me  as  an  Aquanoschioni.     But  I  cannot  consent  to  live 
among  you  until  you  want  me  as  a  preacher  of  the: 
Gospel  of  the  great  God."     At  parting,  they  exacted! 
a  promise  from   him  that,  if  possible,  he  would  visit) 
them  again.     Such  a  visit,  however,  was  never  under-', 
taken.     ThiijKa§4]isJ3(SiJ^rne^U^^  beard_\ 

at  Onondaga.     The  work  of  convertinj;  the  Six  Nations  / 
was  left  to  missionaries  of  other  churches,  and  especially  > 
to  Samucl_Kirkland,  thejdistinguishcd  teacher  of  thci 
Oneidas.*    Why  the   Moravians  relinquished  all   their! 


1  Samuel  Kirklnnd  was  born  at  Norwich,  Conn.,  December  1,  1741^) 
cdvicatcd  at  Princeton,  and  spent  part  of  the  year  1765  among  the  Senecas./ 
Commissioned  by  the  "Connecticut  Board  of  Correspondenls  of  the  So- 
ciety in  Scotland,"  he  began  a  Mission  among  the  Oneidas,  in  July,  1766, 
which  was  very  successful,  and  in  which  he  was  engaged  for  more  than 


'!   li 


H 


m 


'7 


A- 


V 


V/.t^ 


>,A'^.,AyV  ' 


320 


L/i?'^  AND   TIMES  OF 


great  projects  with  regard  to  the  Iroquois,  and  devoted 

themselves  exclusively  to  the  Delawaves  and  tribes  of 

jthe  West,  we  do  not  profess  to  determine.    None  of  the 

I  authorities  we  have  examined  explain  this  change  in  the 

jpolicy  of  the  Church. 

forty  j'ears.     He  established  the  "  Hamilton  Oneida  Academy,"  incor- 

porated  in  1793,  for  tho,  mutual  benefit  of  the  frontier  injiabitanta  and 

Indians.     His  assistant  was  Samson  Occom,  a  native  clergyman,  from 

one  of  the  Long  Island  tribes.     Other  missionaries,  laboring  among  the 

Iroquois,  were  Ashby,  Crosby,  Peter  and  Henry  Avery.     In  1816,  an 

^  Episcopal  Mission  was  inaugurated  by  Bishop  Hobart  among  the  Oneidas 

j  and  Onondagas.  Eleazar  Williams,  an  Oneida,  was  the  first  missionary. 

j  It  was  relinquished  in  1833,  owing  to  the  removal  of  a  majority  of  the 

,  Oneidas.     In  1829,  the  Methodists  began  a  work  among  the  same  tribe, 

and,  in  1841,  among  the  Onondagas.     The  latter  is  still  in  progress,  on 

the  Onondaga  Keservation. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


321 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

ZiiiSBERGER'S   EXPLORATORY  TOUR    TO   THE   INDIANS  OF   THE 
ALLEGHANY  RIVER.— 1767 

England's  w"ak  policy  in  the  West. — The  first  congress  a  hiirbinger 
of  independence. — Zeisberger  at  Christiansbrunn  and  Bethluhcm. — 
Visits  from  his  Indian  relatives. —Death  and  burial  of  his  brother 
Ilaehsitagechte. — Message  of  the  Board  to  the  Onondaga  Council. — 
Zeisberger  prepares  to  visit  the  Indians  (>n  the  Alleghany,  at  Gosch- 
gosehiink. — Anthony  and  Papunhank  accompany  him. — The  journey. 
— Incident  at  Tiozinossongochto. — A  feast  and  dance  in  honor  of 
Ganousseracheri. — Arrival  at  Goschgoschiink. — Its  situation.  -Zeis- 
berger's  first  sermon  there. — His  further  labors. — The  wickedness  of 
the  place. — Wangomen,  the  false  preacher. — Discomfited  by  Zeis- 
berger.— The  Council  asks  for  a  resident  missionary. — Return  to 
Bethlehem. 


In  the  two  years  of  Zeisberger's  activity  at  Friedena- 
hiitten,  it  became  evident  that  England's  triumph  on 
the  Western  Continent  might  prove  to  be  but  the  pre- 
cursor of  a  far  greater  triumph  on  the  part  of  her  Colo- 
nies. The  children  whom  she  had  sent  to  the  New 
World  were  no  longer  i»'  their  swaddling-clothes ;  they 
had  grown  to  be  a  nation.  EngkBdJm;g;ot jhi8.i^_She 
knew  not  how  to  rule  America.  Her  Stamp  Act  was 
an..,a£t^ JoHj.^^  H|^^^  in  the  Far  West  displayed 

weakness  anjifear.  Fort  Chnrtres,  the  last  remnant 
of  French  power  in  the  vail  =*y  of  the  Mississippi,  had 
peacefully  passed  into  her  possession;  but  she  "had 
conquered  the  West,"  says  Bancroft,  "and  dared  not 
make  use  of  it;  she  set  it  apart  to  be  kept  as  a  desert." 

21 


¥i  P' 


1.1  I 


r: 


1*0 


'V\: 


322 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


^r 


Tremblins:  lest  Colonies  so  remote  micflit  become  inde- 
pendent,  she  sent  (1763)  "  a  solemn  protest,"  which  shut 
all  the  country  beyond  the  Alleghanics  against  the 
emigrant;  while  the  two  thousand  persons  of  Euro- 
pean descent  already  in  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi 
were  put  under  "the  rule  of  the  British  army,  with  !i 
local  judge  to  decide  all  disputes."  ' 

But,  in  the  very  nature  of  the  case,  such  timidity 
and  unreasonableness  could  not  prevail.     The  nuclei  of 
States  already  existed  in  the  West,  and  no  proclamation 
could  prevent  the  hardy  sous  of  America  from  peopling 
its  broad  prairies.     JiTor  could  schemes  of  unjust  taxa- 
tion quench  their  spirit  of  liberty.     When  the  first  con- 
[gress  of  deputies  had  assembled  at  Now  York  (October 
7,  1765),  clear-sighted  eyes  throughout  the  land  saw  a 
harbinger  of  independence. 
^     ^    After  his  return  from  Onondaga,  Zeisberger  took  up 
J^^  [his  abode  at  Christiansbrunn,  where  he  spent  the  winter 
^V^         ■(and  spring.     In  early  summer  (1767)  the  arrival  of  a 
''       -''       ideputatiou  of  chiefs  and  sachems  called  hiai  to  Bethle- 
hem.    Sent  by  Sir  William  Johnson,  they  were  on  their 
way  to  the  remnant  of  Nanticokes  in  Maryland,  in  order 
to  induce  them  to  join  the  main  body  of  the  tribe  at 
Zeniinge.     Among  these  visitors  were  two  of  Zeisber- 
iger's  Indian  relatives,  his  nephew,  and  Ilachsitagechte, 
i  his  elder  brother,  a  distinguished  sachem,  tlie_5ee],^r  of 
theAjx^ives  of„tli.e J[ro(iUQis, G  The  ties 

that  united  Zeisberger  with  the  Onondaga  family,  into 


1  Bancroft's  U.S.,  v.  840. 


DAVID  ZEISBEBOER. 


323 


omo  inde- 
vliich  shut 
gainst  the 
of  Euro- 
Mississippi 
ny,  with  a 

timidity 
}  nuclei  of 
)clamation 
1  peopling 
ijust  taxa- 
;  first  con- 
c  (October 
md  saw  a 

r  took  up 
the  winter 
'rival  of  a 
to  Bethle- 
'e  on  their 
1,  in  order 
e  tribe  at 
if  Zcisber- 
sitagechte, 
geej^er^f 
The  ties 
mily,  into 


which  he  had  been  adopted,  were  of  the  closest  kind. 
He  had  frequent  occasions  to  perceive  that  he  was 
honored  and  loved  as  though  he  had  been  their  kins- 
man by  birth.  While  attending  the  Synod  in  the  prc^ 
vious  year,  Tiozihostote,  one  of  his  younger  brothers, 
who  had  expected  to  meet  him  at  Cayuga  Town,  had 
come  all  the  way  to  Bethlehem  to  see  him. 

In   September  tliis  party  of  Iroquois  returned  from 
Maryland,  bringing  with  them  the  Nanticokes.      Zeis-^ 
berger  again  proceeded  to  Bethlehem.     Ilachsitagechte 
had  been  taken  ill,  and  had  to  be  left  in  the  town.     Ilis  \ 
nephew  and  two  sachems  remained  behind  as  his  escort. ! 
He  grew  rapidly  worse,  but  received  the  Gospel,  which,     i 
his  white  brother  preached  to  him,  and  died  as  a  Chris-, S.  /" 

i-  y,- 

Immediately  after  the  funeral  his  three  Iroquois  com 


panions  seated  themselves  around  his  grave  and  smoked  -' 
the  pipe  of  peace.     Then  thej'  left  for  their  own  coun- 
try,  bearing  to  the  Council  of  Onondaga  the  following  V 


US. 


o 


*J. 


'^'/ 

■"l^ 


message 


"  Brothers,   Onondagas !    "We   inform  yoa  that  your 
brother  and  our   brother,  Ilachsitagechte,  came  to  us 
sick  from  Philadelphia,  and  while  among  us  left  this  \ 
world.    Wo  are  glad  that  he  reached  our  town,  so  that  | 
we  could  nurse  hini  as  our  brother.     We  told  him  the 
great  words  of  that  God  who  became  man,  and  as  man 
shed  His  blood  for  all,  that  all  might  be  saved.     He  re- 
ceived these  great  words  into  his  heart,  and   in  the^ 
hope  of  them  he  died.    We  buried  him." 


324 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


t^ 


I  A  string  of  wampum. 

\     "  Herewith  we  wipe  the  tears  from  j'our  eyes.    Grieve 

inot.     Hachsitagechte  has  gone  to  God." 

A  striiig  of  loampum} 
Immediately  after  these  events,  Zeisberger  prepared 
to  undertake  a  new  and  distinguished  missionary.,tour. 
Its  purpose  is  set  forth  in  the  opening  sentence  of  liia 
journal.  "Intelligence  having  reached  us,"  he  says, 
"although  in  a  ver}'  unreliable  form,  that  there  were 
Indians  living  on  the  Alleghany  River  who  desired  to 
hear  the  Gospel,  and  the  Brethren  having,  as  yet,  no 
knowledge  of  that  country,  the  Mission  Board  resolved 
upon  an  exploratory  journey,  in  order  to  ascertain 
whether  anything  could  there  be  accomplished  for  the 
Saviour."  ^ 

I     Anthony  and   Papunliank   consented  to  accompany 

I  him ;  and,  on  the  last  day  of  September,  they  set  out 

\from  FriedenshUtten    on    foot,  with    one    pack-horse. 

JTheir  place  of  destination  was  Goschgoschlink. 

Crossing  the  Susquehanna  to  its  western  bank,  they 
came  to  Schechschiquanunk,^  a  Mousey  town,  the  seat  of 
Echgohund ;  and  in  the  evening  stopped  at  Wilawane, 
another  Monsey  village,  near  the  junction  of  the  Che- 
mung. Along  this  river  they  pursued  their  way  through 
prairies  of  tall  grass,  until,  not  far  from  where  it  is 
formed  by  the  confluence  of  the  Tioga  and  the  Conhoc- 


'  Bethlchom  Diary,  June,  .July,  and  September,  1767.     MS.  B.  A. 
»  Journal  of  Tour  to  the  Alleghany.     MS.  B.  A. 
'  This  was  old  Shosequin,  opposite  and  a  little  below  the  present 
town,  in  Bradford  County,  Pa. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


325 


immpum. 
es.    Grieve 

vampum} 

r_j[)re^red 

ona,r^.toiir. 

nice  of  Ilia 

'   he   says, 

there  were 

desired  to 

as  yet,  uo 

d  resolved 

ascertain 

led  for  the 

accompany 
ey  set  out 
3ack-horse. 
ik. 

bank,  they 
the  seat  of 
Wilawane, 
f  the  Che- 
ly  through 
/■here  it  is 
le  Conhoc- 

MS.  B.  A. 

'  the  present 


I 


ton,  they  reached  the  site  of  Assinnissink,  once  the 
homo  of  Jacheabus,  the  leader  in  the  massacre  on  the 
Alahony.  They  now  followed  the  Tioga  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Covvanesque  Creek,  up  which  they  proceeded  a 
day's  journey,  and  then  entered  a  dense  swamp.  Amid 
a  drenching  rain,  they  forced  their  way  through  the 
underwood,  and  over  the  miry  ground,  to  the  head- 
waters of  the  Alleghany,  in  Potter  County.  Around 
them  was  an  almost  impenetrable  spruce-forest;  and, 
as  they  plunged  into  its  thickets,  they  lost  the  river, 
and  were  so  completely  environed  by  a  vast  wilderness 
that  even  the  Indians  stood  amazed.  Toward  evening, 
they  struck  the  Alleghany  again,  and  bivouacked  on 
its  bank,  perhaps  not  far  from  Coudersport. 

It  may,  with  great  probability,  be  asserted  that  Zeis^ 
berger  was  the  first  white  man  to  thread  these  dark/ 
forests  of  Northwestern  Pennsylvania  and  build  night- \ 
lodges  in  Potter  County.  Indeed,  after  his  visit,  nearly 
half  a  century  elapsed  before  settlers  were  permanently 
located  in  that  region,  and  even  now  it  is  one  of  the* 
waste  places  of  the  State. 

At  one  of  the  first  Seneca  villages  which  they  reached, 
their  appearance  caused  such  suspicion  that  a  mesf-onger,  ) 
mounted  on  a  fleet  horse,  hurried  to  Tiozinossongochto, 
the  next  town,  a  distance  of  thirty  miles,  in  order  to  in- 
form its  chief  of  their  coming.  And  when  they  arrived 
there  the  first  person  whom  they  saw  was  this  chief,  a 
man  of  noble  presence,  standing  at  the  door  of  his  lodge 
on  the  watch  for  them.  He  barely  acknowledged  their 
greetings ;  but  yet  did  not  forget  the  rites  of  hospi- 
tality.   They  rested  by  his  fire  and  were  refreshed. 


t..<x><j 


326 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


"Whither  is  the  pale  face  going?"  was  the  first  ques- 
tion with  which  he  broke  the  paiufal  silence,  and  sat 
down  beside  his  guest. 

"To  Goschgoschiink,  to  visit  the  Indians,"  answered 
Zeisberger. 

"  Is  that  all  ?" 

"Yea,  that  is  all." 

"Why  does  the  pale  face  come  so  unknown  a  road? 
This  is  no  road  for  white  people,  and  no  white  man  has 
ever  come  this  trail  before." 

"  Seneca,"  replied  Zeisberger,  "the  business  that  calls 
me  among  the  radians  is  entirely  diflerent  from  that  of 
other  white  people,  and  hence  the  roads  I  travel  are  dif- 
ferent too.  I  do  not  come  to  trade  or  barter  ;  I  do  not 
undertake  journeys  for  the  sake  of  gain ;  I  am  here  in 
order  to  bring  the  Indians  good  and  great  words." 

"  What  words  are  these  ?    I  want  to  hear  them." 

"The  words  of  life!"  responded  Zeisberger,  with 
kindling  eye.  "  I  teach  the  Indians  to  believe  in  God, 
and  by  believing  to  be  saved.  Are  not  these  good 
words?" 

"No!"  fiercely  exclaimed  the  chief;  "no,  they  are 
not  good  words  for  the  Indians  !" 

"  My  friend,  answer  me,  are  the  Indians  not  human 
beings  ?  ai*e  they  not  to  be  saved  ?  But  kow  can  they 
be  saved  unless  they  hear  of  their  Saviour  ?" 

"  The  Indians  are  as  much  human  beings  as  3'ou  pale 
faces,  but  God  created  them  for  other  ends  than  you. 
He  gave  them  hunting-grounds ;  the  game  of  the  forest 
is  theirs.     Of  the  Bible  they  know  nothing.     God  did 


.o 


X 


v-V 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


327 


V-:^ 


not  give  them  that ;  nor  can  they  understand  it.     lie 

gave  the  Bible  to  the  whites ;  and  yet  wliat  does  it  help 

even  these  ?    See  how  many  of  them  live  in  wickedness  ! 

Explain  this  to  me.     In  what  respect  are  the  whites, 

with  their  Bible,  better  than  the  Indians  without  it?" 

This  conversation  was  kept  up  for  more  than  two 

hours,  the   chief  assailing  the  Christian   religion,  and 

Zeisberger   preaching    its   divine   Author.      "Behold," 

said  he  in  conclusion,  "these  are  the  words  which   I 

I 
come  to  tell  the  Indians.     You  say  they  are  created  in 

order  to  roam  through  the  forest  and  run  after  bears 

and  deer.     Oh,  no,  my  friend !    They  are   made   for 

liigher  purposes.    Believe  me,  it  is  God's  will  that  they, 

too,  should  be  saved." 

"By  what  name  is  the  pale  face  known?"  asked  the 
chief  after  a  time. 

"  I  am  Ganousseracheri,"  answered  Zeisberger. 

In  an  instant  his  whole  demeanor  changed ;  a  smile 
broke  over  his  stern  face ;  he  crrasped  Zeisberger's  hand,  ~ 
called  him  his  brother,  said  he  had  often  heard  of  him,     \^ 
and  begged  him  to  excuse  the  coldness  with  which  he 
had  treated  him.     "I  thought  my  brother  was  sent  to   ^^       X 
spy  out  the  land  of  the  Senecas.     Had  I  known  his    ^  '  K^, 
name  he  would  have  been  most  welcome."  '"^^ 

Entire  cordiality  now  prevailed  between  the  two  ;  but 
the  chief  warned  Zeisberger  of  the  perils  he  would 
encounter.  "The  Indians  at  Goschgoschiink,"  he 
said,  "bear  a  very  bad  character;  they  use  the  worst 
kind  of  sorcery,  and  will  not  hesitate  to  murder  you." 
Zeisberger,  however,   assured    him    that    he   was   not 


> 


^^ 


-<^ 


328 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


afraid.  "  ^"0  harm  can  befall  me  if  my  God,  in  whom 
I  believe,  does  not  permit  it.  Are  the  Indians  at  Gosch- 
goschiink  very  wicked?  Tbat  is  just  the  reason  why  I 
iOught  to  go  and  preach  to  them  !"  At  parting,  he  once 
more  besought  him  to  think  of  his  soul  aid  of  his 
Saviour.  All  this  time  the  chief's  wife  had  listened  to 
the  discourse  of  the  pale-faced  stranger  with  that  thirsty 
intenseness  which  drinks  in  every  word.  "Was  this 
first  blast  of  the  Gospel-trumpet  in  Tiozionossongochto, 
where  white  man  had  never  been  before,  altogether  in 
vain  ?    The  day  of  the  Lord  will  tell. 

At  the  next  Seneca  town  were   two  Onondagas  of 

/Zeisberger's  acquaintance,  who  hastened  to  proclaim  his 

standing  among  the  Iroquois.     An  invitation  to  spend 

the    day  in   the  village,   and    be   its    honored  guest, 

immediately  followed.      Although    most   unwilling  to 

(accept  it,  the  persistent  kindness  of  the   natives  pre- 

i  vailed. 

"With  ceremonious  politeness,  they  led  him  to  the 
largest  hut,  and  begged  him  to  look  upon  it  as  his  own, 
while  busy  squaws  hastened  to  serve  up  a  feast.  The 
woods,  the  river,  and  the  cornfield  yielded  their  choicest 
delicacies,  and,  surrounded  by  the  warriors,  painted  and 
dressed  as  for  a  festival,  he  was  royally  entertained. 
Toward  evening  the  Indians  began  a  war-dance.  At 
the  tap  of  a  drum — a  deerskin  stretched  over  an  empty 
cask — they  left  the  hut,  all  stripped  to  the  breech- 
cloth  ;  but  suddenly  they  returned,  flourishing  clubs  and 
tomahawks,  leaping  into  the  air,  filling  the  house  with 
strange  outcries,  and  going  through  the  mazes  of  their 


ii;i!_ 

•;i!il 


JJ 


Z)^r/Z)   ZEISDEKOER. 


329 


in  whom 
at  Qo3ch- 
on  why  I 
,  he  once 
d  of  his 
Jtened  to 
at  thirsty 
Vas  this 
ngochto, 
^ether  hi 

iagas  of 
3laim  hie 
to  spend 
d  guest, 
illing  to 
ves  pre- 

i  to  the 
bis  own, 
It.     The 
choicest 
ted  and 
rtained. 
ce.     At 
I  empty 
breech- 
abs  and 
se  with 
)f  their 


dance  with  increasing  fury,  until  it  btirst  into  a  bewil- 
dering whirl  of  mad  confusion.  At  another  signal,  they 
stopped,  took  seats  around  the  fire,  and,  with  the  enthu-  i^' 
siasm  of  old  Scotland's  bards,  began  to  sing  their  own  ' -^k/. 
heroic  deeds,  the  drum  beating  a  discordant  accompani-  ^q^^ 
ment.  These  savage  ballads  continued  so  long  that  ^ 
Zeisbcrger's  patience  was  quite  exhausted,  and  he  pre-  st, 
pared  to  retire  to  rest.  "  Does  Ganousseracheri  wish  to 
sleep?"  said  one  of  the  Indians  as  soon  as  he  perceived 
this.  "Yes,"  he  replied,  "  I  do  wish  to  sleep,  for  I  am 
very  tired."  The  singing  ceased  at  once,  another  meal 
was  served  up,  and,  courteously  saluting  their  guests, 
the  company  departed.  Alone  with  his  two  Christian 
brethren,  Zeisberger  led  in  the  worship  of  God  by  the 
dim  light  of  the  expiring  tire. 

At  Goschgoschiink,  which  :hey  reached  on  the  six- 
teenth of  October,  they  were  entertained  by  one  of 
Papunhank's  friends. 

Goschgoschiink    had   a   history  of  but    two    years. 
Founded  (1765)  by  Monseys  from  Machiwihilusing  and 
Tioga,   it    comprised   three  straggling  villages.      The       '( i-i « 
middle   one,  at  which  Zeisberger  arrived,  lay  on   the 
eastern   bank  of  the  Alleghany,   near  the   mouth   of  "^"^ 

the  Tionesta  Creek,  in  Venango  County.  Two  miles 
up  the  river  was  the  upper  village,  and  four  miles 
down,  the  lower.  It  was  a  region  which  had  been  the 
theater  of  important  Colonial  events;  but  since  the 
Pontiac  War,  when  the  fort  was  destroyed,  barbarism 
had  again  reigned  supreme,  and  Zeisbgrggr  ag^gars  to 
have  been  the  fir^t  to^reJDtrjSiJuftejjix^^ 


'"Yv'-  '^■■^-J*-V't.<j  '■  r 


fH  iiii 


ill'   lifl 


ji  'ill 


I 


830 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


As  soon  as  he  had  rested  from  the  fatigues  of  the 
journey,  he  dispatched  his  two  companions  to  appoint  a 
religious  service  for  the  evening.  The  news  that  the 
great  teacher  from  Machiwihilusing  was  corao  excited 
general  interest,  and  the  natives  flocked  to  the  Council 
House,  where  the  meeting  was  to  be  held,  from  the 
middle  and  upper  villages.  Those  from  the  lower 
village  sent  word  that  it  was  too  late  for  them  to  be 
present  that  night ;  that  they  would,  however,  not  fail 
to  attend  the  next  day. 

Several  of  the  Indians  having  witnessed  the  religious 
services  of  the  Moravians,  they  arranged  the  Council 
House  as  much  as  possible  like  a  church.     Retaining 
Hhe  indispensable  tire,  which  burned  in  the  center  of  the 
building,  they  seated  themselves  in  rows,  the  men  on  the 
one  side  and  the  women  on  the  other. 
j     As  Zeisberger  rose,  every  eye  was  fixed  upon  him, 
Kvith  curiosity  or  a  tierce  gleam.     Some  of  the  most 
\  desperate    characters   were    before   him,  ruffians    and 
murderers,  whose  names  were  a  terror  among  the  In- 
dians.    There  were,  moreover,  several  warriors  present 
who  had  been  engaged  in  the  massacre  on  the  Mahony.* 
It  was  no  ordinary  assembly  even  for  him  to  address. 

"My  friends,"  he  began,  "we  have  come  to  bring 
you  great  words  and  glad  tidings, — words  from  our  God 
and  your  God,  tidings  of  our  Redeemer  and  your  Re- 
deemer. We  have  come  to  tell  you  that  you  will  bo 
happy  if  you  will  believe  in  Jesus  Christ,  who  shed  His 


1  Bethlehem  Diary,  Nov.  1767.    MS.  B,  A, 


0 
J. 


r 


^ 


-^1/:. 


■bAVfb  ZEJSBERtfER 


../ 


'  ./ 


■^A 


831 


.^,^%'r*^> 


blood  and  gave  ^Ilis"  life  for  you.  These  great  words 
and  glad  tidings  we  have  presented  to  your  friends  at 
Priedenshlitten.  They  have  received  them;  they  are 
happy;  they  thank  the  Saviour  that  He  has  brought 
them  from  darkness  into  light.  Now  we  bear  to  you 
the  peace  of  God.  The  time  is  here  ;  the  visitation  of 
God  your  Creator,  who,  as  man,  died  for  you.  You  are 
not  any  longer  to  live  in  darkness  without  Ilim ;  you 
are  to  learn  to  know  Ilim,  whom  to  know  is  life  and 
peace.  Say  not  in  your  hearts,  these  doctrines  are  not 
for  us ;  we  were  not  made  to  receive  them.  I  tell  you 
Jesus  Christ  died  for  me,  for  you,  for  all  men.  You, 
too,  are  called,  and  called  to  life  eternal." 

In  this  strain  he  continued,  warming  with  his  subject, 
until  the  house  rang  with  his  stirring  words.  No  one 
knew  better  how  to  speak  to  Indians.  lie  had  studied 
native  oratory  at  their  councils,  and  he  now  employed 
it  with  power  in  the  interests  of  the  Gospel.  On  this 
occasion  his  hearers  were  spell-bound.  Their  counte- 
nances showed  the  impression  which  he  had  produced, 
and  revealed  that  irrepressible  conflict  between  truth 
and  error  into  which  he  had  forced  their  minds. 
"Never  yet,"  he  writes,  "did  I  see  so  clearly  depicted 
in  the  faces  of  Indians  both  the  darkness  of  hell  and 
the  world-subduing  power  of  the  Gospel."  ' 


1  Of  this  first  religious  service  iit  Goschgoschiink,  Mr.  Schucsselo,  , 
an  eminent  artist  of  Philadelphia,  has  painted  a  large  and  beautiful  ) 
picture,  which  was  on  exhibition  son'i'>  years  ago  in  the  Academy  of  Fine  / 
Arts,  Philadelphia,  and  engravings  of  which,  in  the  oxquisitestyle  of  Mr.  y 
Sartain,  have  since  been  published.  Mr.  Schuessele  represents  the  inci-  [ 
dent  as  taking  place  in  the  midst  of  a  forest,  and  not  in  the  Council  Ilouse. J 


J 


■J 


^. 


1 
1 


y 


832 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


Tlie  next  clay  all  the  three  villages  were  represented, 
and  numbers  crowded  the  Council  House,  among  them 

,  Alleraewi,  a  blind  but  distinguished  old  chief,  and  Wan- 
gomen,  the  preacher  of  the  town.  Zeiaberger  and  his 
assistants  by  turns   proclaimed  the  Gospel,   with    only 

.  brief  interruptions,  from  morning  until  evening,  when 
the  inhabitants  of  the   upper  and  lower  villages  left. 

IThose  of  the   middle  village    remained,  and  Anthony 

jjiistructed  them  until  ten  o'clock  at  night. 

But  although  the  Word  of  God  made  itself  felt,  and 
although  some  natives  were  impressed,  it  soon  became 
evident  that  the  majority  had  been  attracted  by  the 
novelty  of  the  religious  services,  and  that  the  wicked- 
ness of  these  Monseys  had  not  been  exaggerated.  The 
blasphemies  of  "Wangomen,  the  sorceries  of  the  pow- 
\  wows,  the  wild  excesses  of  the  young  people,  the  powers 
of  darkness  in  the  worst  of  their  heathenish  manifesta- 
tions, made  up  a  sum  of  iniquity  so  appalling  that 
Zeisberger  writes  in  his  journal,  "  I  have  never  found 
such  heathenism  in  other  parts  of  the  Indian  country. 
Here  Satan  has  his  stronghold  !  Here  he  sits  upon  his 
throne !  Here  he  is  worshiped  by  the  savages  and  carries 
on  his  work  in  the  hearts  of  the  children  of  darkness ! 


.'Tms  i.s  my  fault.  In  1858,  when  my  sources  of  information  were  limited, 
1  I  wrote  a  few  articles  for  the  Moravian  on  Zeisberger's  life,  and  in  one  of 
ft  these  I  described  the  incident  in  the  manner  in  which  Mr.  Schuesselo 
r  has  represented  it.  That  article  was  shown  him,  and  led  to  his  picture, 
f  Subsequent  researches  convinced  me  that  I  had  been  in  error,  and  that 
J  the  occurrence  took  place  in  the  Council  House,  and  not  in  the  forest. 
\  I  do  not,  however,  regret  my  mistake,  for  had  I  not  been  guilty  of  it, 
I  Mr.  Schuessele's  painting  would  hardly  have  appeared. 


DAVID  ZEISDEROFAl. 


833 


esented, 
ig  them 
1(1  Wail- 
and  his 
th  only 
;,  wlien 
!:cs  left, 
nthony 

bit,  and 
became 
by  the 
wicked- 
1.     The 
ie  povv- 
powers 
inifesta- 
ig  that 
[•  found 
onntry. 
pon  his 
carries 
rkness! 


limited, 
in  one  of 
;huesselo 

picture, 
and  that 
a  forest, 
ty  of  it, 


Here  God's  holy  name  is  blasphemed  at  their  sacrificial 
abominations,  at  which  they  venture  to  take  it  into  their 
unclean  months,  and  to  sa}'  that  what  they  do  is  to 
His  honor!"  Addressing  the  readers  of  the  journal, 
he  adds :  '*  Beloved  brethren,  here  arc  needed  the  pa- 
tience and  the  faith  of  the  saints,  if  tl  c  Saviour  is  to 
see  of  the  travail  of  His  soul,  if  the  prisoners  of  hope 
are  to  turn  to  the  stronghold." 

The  false  preacher,  in  particular,  opposed  the  Gospel ; 
but  the  champion  of  the  Truth  was  too  mighty  for  him. 
AVangomen   began   a  disputation ;    Zeisberger  silenced 
him.     Wangomen   announced  that  he  would  preach, 
and  summoned  the  inhabitants  of  all  the  three  villages  ' 
to   hear    his    refutation  of  the  ^yhite   teacher ;    when  ,' 
they    had   assembled,    Zeisberger    entered    the    Long  i 
House  and  preached  in  place  of  Wangomen,  and,  as  ii^ 
soon   as  he  was  done,  Anthony  and  John  published  '  fj^-- 
Christianity  until  it  was  too  late  for  the  prophet  to  say  :      ^^ 
a  word.     Most  signal,  however,  was  his  discomfiture  f        <5^ 
on   the  day  previous  to  the   departure  of  the   party,  w' 
Zeisberger  had  called  a  council  and  proposed  a  perma- '     . 
nent  Mission.     This  proposal  met  with  favor;  one  voice 
only  was  dumb.     Wangomen   sat  in    moody  silence. 
The  Council  called  on  him  by  name  to  give  his  opinion. 
He  was  silent  still.    Again  the  Council  entreated  him  to  \ 
speak.     At  last  he  stood  up.     Avoiding  the  question  at '? 
issue,  he  began  to  declaim  with  all  the  assumed  au-  ( 
thority  of  his  class,  and  to  set  forth,  by  a  diagram  drawn '^ 
on  the  ground,  two  ways  of  salvation — the  one  for  thai 
Indians,  the  other  for  the  whites.     Zeisberger,  deeming 


■n 


334 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


the  matter  settled,  had  meanwhile  gone  out  of  the 
house.  Ou  his  return,  he  found  Wangomen  in  the 
midst  of  a  fiery  speech,  and  Anthony,  who  was  quick 
to  reply,  strangely  embarrassed.  Abruptly  interrupting 
Wangomen,  he  exclaimed:  "Did  I  not  tell  you  some 
days  ago  that  there  is  only  one  way  of  salvation,  and  the 
Saviour  that  way?  All  men,  whether  white  or  black  or 
brown,  must  come  to  Ilim  if  they  would  be  saved, — 
must  feel  that  they  are  sinners,  and  seek  forgiveness 
of  Him.  Now,  what  kind  of  a  god  is  your  god  ?  By 
what  attributes  do  you  recognize  him?"  "Wangomen 
was  silent.  "If  you  cannot  tell  me,"  continued  Zeis- 
berger,  in  a  loud,  stern  voice,  "I  will  tell  you.  The 
devil  is  your  god ;  you  preach  the  devil  to  the  Indians. 
You  are  a  servant  of  the  devil,  who  is  the  father  of  lies; 
and  being  a  servant  of  the  devil,  the  father  of  lies,  you 
preach  lies  and  deceive  the  Indians?"  The  prophet  was 
startled,  and,  in  a  much  humbler  tone,  complnined  that 
he  could  not  understand  Zeisberger's  doctrines.  "I  will 
show  you  the  reason,"  said  the  latter.  "  Satan  is  the 
Prince  of  Darkness;  where  he  lives  all  is  dark.  Now 
he  lives  in  you ;  therefore  your  mind  is  dark,  and  you 
cannot  understand  the  truth  which  comes  from  God." 
Then  changing  his  invective  into  earnest  admonition, 
he  exhortec'i  him  to  forsake  his  false  doctrines  and  blas- 
phemous practices,  and  give  himself  to  Christ.  "  There 
is  yet  time,"  he  s?  ^,  in  conclusion;  "the  Saviour  yet 
grants  you  grace.  .'  you  will  turn  to  Him,  you  may 
yet  obtain  salvation.  But  beware !  delay  not !  hasten 
to  save  your  poor  soul  !"    Wangomen  was  utterly  con- 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


335 


founded,  and  throughout  the  Council  reigned  profound 
silence. 

Zeisberger  was  in  a  den  of  paganism,  completely  in 
the  power  of  this  false  prophet,  who  might  have  mur- 
dered him  with  impunity  ;  but  the  honor  of  hi^  Lord 
was  at  stake  and  made  him  stvong.  "  I  could  not,"  he 
says,  *'8pe?k  otherwise,  however  severe  my  words  Ever 
since  my  arrival  I  had  tried,  by  affection,  to  gain  this 
man  for  Christ,  hoping  to  establish  the  Gospel  through 
his  instrumentality.  But  when  I  saw  that  he  willfully 
opposed  the  Saviour,  and  the  Saviour's  atoning  blood, 
and  tried  to  rob  Him  of  that  honor  which  belongs  to 
Him,  I  could  bear  it  no  longer." 

After  a  time,  the  Council  once  more  asked  Wango> 
men  for  his  opinion  with  regard  to  the  coming  of  a 
resident  missionary.     "Let  us  decide  the  matter  now," 
was  said  on  all  sides.     "It  is  decided,"  remarked  Zeis-' 
bergcr  with   dig.aty.    "  I  know  j'our  wishes ;   that  is  j 
enough  for  me;  I  want  nothing  more."     "I,  too,  am] 
willing,"  said  Wangomen  at  last. 

On  the  twenty-third  of  October,  after  an  earnest  fare^\ 
well-discourse,  Zeisberger  left  the  village  and  returned/ 
to  Friedenshiitten.     Thence  he  hastened  to  Bethlehem,  ' 
to  report  to  the  Board.     His  journal  was  read  at  ai 
public  meeting,  and  caused  a  great  sensation. 


336 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

ZBISBERGEn  A  MISSIONARY  AT  GOSCIIGOSCHiJNK.— 1768,  1769. 

Massacre  of  Indians  In  Cumberland  County,  Pennsylvania. — Measures 
to  prevent  an  Indian  War. — Treaty  at  Fort  Pitt. — Zcisberger,  Sense- 
man,  and  a  colony  of  Christian  Indians  begin  a  Mission  at  Gosch- 
gorichunk. — A  Mission  House  is  erected. — Conflict  between  the  Gospel 
and  heathenism.— Something  about  Indian  sorcery. — The  Missic.i 
opposed  from  without  and  from  within. — The  courage  and  endurance 
of  Zcisberger  and  Senseman. — Two  plots  against  the  life  of  the 
former. — The  influence  of  the  Mission. — A  Christian  and  heathen 
party  formed. — The  influence  of  the  Iroquois  League  on  the  wane 
among  the  Delawares. — Zcisberger  and  several  deputies  go  to 
Zonesschio. — Indian  Congress  at  Fort  Stanwix. — New  boundary 
lino  settled. — The  three  tribal  chiefs  of  the  Delawares,  and  their 
friendly  messages  to  the  Christian  party  at  Goschgoschiink. 

After  hia  return  from  Goschgoshiink,  Zeisberger 
spent  the  winter  at  Christiansbrunn.  It  was  a  time 
of  anxiety  for  the  frontier  settlements  of  Pennsylva- 
nia.    Ten  inoffensive  nat'ves,  among  them  three  squaws 

land  three  children,  encamped  in  Penn  Township,  Cum- 
■berland  County,  were  brutally  murdered  (January  10, 
1768)  by  u  German,  one  Frederick  Stump.     To  avenge 

I  so  gross  a  wrong,  would   not    the   Indians  seize  the 

*  hatchet,  and  reinaugurate  all  the  horrors  of  a  border 

-(war  ? 

Governor  Penn  took  prompt  measures  to  prevent  such 
a  calamity.   He  offered  a  reward  of  two  hundred  pounds 


I 


res,  1769. 

-Measures 

jer,  Scnse- 

ut  Gosch- 

thc  Gospel 

le  Missici 

endurance 

ife  of   the 

d  heathen 

the  wane 

ies    go    to 

boundary 

and  their 


isberger 

a  time 
nnsylva- 

squaws 
p,  Cum- 
lary  10,, 

avenge 
nze   the 

border 

!iit  such 
pounds 


I  I 


DAVID   ZEISBERQER. 


337 


sterling   for  the   apprehension    of   the    murderer,   and 
sent  conciliatory  messages  to  J!«J^ewallike,  the  Christian 
Indians,    and    the    clans   of   the    North    Branch.      Sir; 
William  Johnson  came  to  his  assistance.     His  runners 
traversed  the  wilderness  with  bolts  of  peace,  and  at  hisf 
own  hall  he  moUitied  the  anger  of  the   Six  Nations.f 
By  these   efforts   the   storm  was  averted.      And   even,' 
when    Stump,  who   had   been   arrested  and  lodged  in; 
the  jail  of  Carlisle,  was  rescued  by  force,  the  Indians^ 
remained  quiet.*      A  great  treaty,  to  be  held  at  Fort 
Pitt,  absorbed  their  minds.    George  Croghan,  represent- 
ing the  Crown,  together  with  John  Allen  and  Joseph' 
Shippen,  Commissioners  of  Pennsylvania,   met  (April,! 
1768)  eleven  Ji^jndred  rcpresentatvves  of  variou8,.trjii.e8 — 
Iroquois,  Delawares,  Shawanese,  Mohicans,  and  others 
— and,  in  a  figure  of  their  own  mode  of  speech,  buried 
the  bones  of  the  murdered  natives,  while  at  the  same 
place  the  Indians  buried  the  bones  of  murdered  white 
men,  "with  ours,"  they  said,  "and  so  deep  that  none  of 
our  young  people  may  ever  know  that  any  misfortunes 
have  happened   between  us."      On  this  occasion,  too, 
they  were  convinced  of  the  sincerity  of  the  government 
in  its  attempts  to  remove  the  squatters  of  Red  Stone 
Creek,  the  Monongahela,  and  Youghiogeny,  who  had 
so  long  been  an  offense  to  the  Councils  of  the  Dela- 
wares and  the  sachems  of  the  Six  Nations.     An  official 
manifesto   proclaimed   "  death  without   the   benefit  of 


1  Dini-y  of  Frieden.shutten.     MS.  B.  A.     Penn.  Col.  Records,  ix,  414, 
420,  428,  436,  448,  and  497. 

22 


•4)iFMaiiiBiiiaMiiiiMaittiii 


1^ 


1:  I  f 


y 


m 


Kf^ 


l- 


■■'/■y 

■'r' 


338 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


clergy"  as  the  penalty  of  a  continuance  of  their  usur- 
pations.' 

Toward  the  end  of  April,  runners  reached  Friedens- 
hiitten  to  inquire  whctbor  the  teachers,  who  had  been 
promised  the  Monseys  of  Goschgoschiink,  were  coming. 
A  few  days  later,  Zeisbcrger  and  Gottlob  Senseman 
arrived,  on  their  way  to  that  town. 

Three  families  of  Christian  Indians — Anthony  and 
Joanna,  Abraham  and  Salome,  Peter  and  Abigail — 
consented  to  accompany  them  and  form  the  nucleus  of  a 
church  on  the  Alleghany.  On  the  ninth  of  May,  es- 
corted by  John  Ettwein,^  and  several  converts,  as  far  as 
Schechschiquanunk,  this  little  colony  left  Friedens- 
J-'  *  hlitten  in  canoes,  taking  with  them  a  small  drove  of 
cows  and  horses.  At  Wilawane,  twenty  chiefs,  with 
.» ^'  speeches  and  a  belt,  attempted  to  hinder  the  enterprise ; 
but  Zeisberger  rejected  the  belt  and  silenced  their  inter- 
ference.    "Do  not  imagine,"  said  he,  "so  vain  a  thing 

■  as  that  you  will  prevent  us  from  preaching  the  Gospel  at 
Goschgoschiink."  On  the  ninth  of  June  they  arrived 
at  the   upper  town,  where  Wangomen  received  them 

I  into  his  lodge,  which  Zeisberger  at  once  converted 
into  a  house  of  God,  holding  daily  worship. 


1  Penn.  Col.  Records,  ix.  481  and  482;  Report  of  Treaty  in  Penn. 
Col.  Records,  ix.  514-543. 

*  Born,  1712,  in  the  Schwarzwald,  in  Germany.  In  1754,  he  emigrated 
to  America,  and  served  the  Church  both  in  Pennsylvania  and  North 
Carolina.  In  17C4,  ho  became  a  member  of  the  Mission  Board.  In 
1784,  he  was  consecrated  a  bishop,  and  stood  at  the  head  of  tlio  Church 
in  Pennsylvania  until  his  death  in  1802.  He  was  a  stern,  but  zealous, 
aithful  man. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


339 


He  found  Goschgoschunk  changed.  The  inhabitants 
were  scattered;  the  middle  town  was  wholly  desei'ted; 
the  upper  had  no  proper  chiefs ;  and  only  in  the  lower 
existed  somewhat  of  a  government.  The  tribal  rela- 
tions, too,  were  of  the  loosest  kind.  Several  other 
nationalities  mingled  with  the  Monseys,  and  even  a  few 
former  converts  of  Gnadenhiitten,  fast  relapsing  into 
heathenism,  had  found  their  way  thither.  Of  this^vlifil^ 
nj^Ue^l^liuiJhe jvirtual  head  was  AVa ngonjeji . 

Zeisbergcr_selected_a  site  for  a  Mission^  House,  closd, 
by  .9',_sjmiiS:_Jibout_^half  a  mile  from  the  town^^  ftir^ 
enough  to  be  undisturbed  by  the  revelries  of  the  sav* 
ages,  and  j'ct  not  too  far  for  such  as  might  wish  to^ 
attend  his  meetings.  Hero  a  logJ^Udin^,  twenty-six 
by  sixteen  fc^,  was  put  up,  and  occupied  (June  30)  by 
the  whole  colony.  Around  it  new  converts  were^o 
erect  lodges,  and  gradiii\llv  form  a^eparate  viljage. 

Established  thus  at  this  outpost  of  civilization,  Zeia- 
berger  and  Senseman  looked  hopefully  into  the  future. 
They  were  ready  to  spend  and  be  spent  in  the  service 
of  their  Lord,  and,  in  fellowship  with  their  Indian 
brethren,  mutually  covenanted,  in  the  sacrament  of  the 
Supper,  to  be  faithful  unto  death. 

They  had  need  of  grace  and  of  the  courage  to  which 
grace  gives  birth.  When  tirst  they  arrived,  the  people 
showed  them  due  kindness.  Had  not  these  Monseys 
extended  to  Zeisberger  a  formal  invitation  to  live  and 
teach  among  them  ?  and  now  that  he  had  accepted  it, 
should  they  not  receive  him  and  his  friends  ?  Had  they 
not  sent  to  FriedenshUtten  to  hasten  his  coming?     Had 


\JiAy^o(.  U"-?.- 


340 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


M' 


they  not  dispatched  a  canoe  to  meet  him?    It  would 
have  been  contrary  to  their  character  to  refuse  a  wel- 
come.    Hence  they  helped  the  converts  to  build  their 
house,  to  plant  their  corn,  to  make  themselves  a  home 
amid  the  rude  comforts  of  the  wilderness.     And,  while 
worship  was  held  in  Wangomen's  hut,  attracted  by  its 
novelty,  niuny  came  to  sec  and  hear.     But  when  they 
began  to  realize  what  a  Christian  Mission  involved,  their 
sentiments  changed;    bitter  enmity  to  the  Word  of  God 
broke  out,  and  determined  opposition  to  God's  minis- 
jHers.     This  was  owing,  chiefly,  to  the  influence  of  the 
(sorcerers,  of  whom  Waugomen  was  the  most  notorious. 
Sorcerers    abounded    among  the   aborigines  _of    our 
counti'v.     The  jiuijority  of  them  were  cunning  jugglei's, 
j  or   scU'-deluded  victims   of  superstition.     According  to 
I  Zeisberger's  testimony,  however,  some  existed  by  whom 
1  Satan  himself  worked  "  with  all  power,  and  signs,  and 
f  lying  wonders."'    He  says  that  he  disbelieved  the  stories 
I  he  heard  of  what  they  could  do  until  several  of  them 
1  were  converted.      Those  unfolded   to  him  things,  from 
'  their  own  past  experienco,  which  forced  him  to  acknowl- 
■)  edge  the   reality  of  Indian   sorcery,  and  to  adopt  the 
I  opinion,  which  was  universal  among  the  early  Church 
1  Fathers,  that  the  gods  of  heathenism  were  not  visionary 
'  beings    represented    by  idols,  but   satanic   powers   and 
1  principalities,  to  worship  whom  was  to  worship  demons 
•  and   be    under    demoniacal   influences.      He   refers   to 
:  three  ^inds  t>f'  uatWe  iuagij3 :    njimcly^the.  art  to_pro- 


'  II.  Tliessuloninns,  ii.  9. 


jiU^^i,..,t.Q^    U)      7i^V^^44.lfr^'^f^'^--'i^ 


DAVID  7AUSBERGER. 


341 


(luce  sudden  death  without  the  use  of  ppispn ;  the\ 
wa«(7j;flss^«j  a_dea(llj^ cha^^^^  by  vy h ich  cpide ni i cs  could/ 
bo  brought  n]2on_eu.tixe_xilhuj:e&,  and  persons  at  a  dis-i^ 
tance  sent  to  their  graves;  and  tho_witchcraf't  of  the| 
klmochwe,  wlio  passed  through  the  air  by  niglit,  visiting; 
towns,  casting  the  inhabitants  into  an  unnatural  slee^ 
and  then  stealing  what  they  wanted.' 

We  neither  adopt  these  views  of  Zeisberger,  nor  pro- 
nounce them  absurd.  In  the  present  aspect  of  demou- 
ology,  opinions  of  this  kind  remain  an  open  question. 

The  sorcerers   of  Goschgoschiink  were   not   slow 
perceive  that  if  any  should  embrace  Christianity  whomj 
they  had  initiated,  their  arts  would  be  exposed.     Hence, 
at  a  secret  meeting  held  soon  after  Zeisberger's  arrival,  j 
they  bound  ihemselves  to  incite  the  clan  against  him  by 
every  means  in  their  power,  while  outwardly  observing! 
the  semblance  of  friendship.     Of  this  he  knew  nothing^ 
until  he  had  removed  from   the  town.     Thus  was  in- 
augurated  a    desperate    struggle   between    the   lies   of 
paganism  and   the  truth   of  God.     The  antagonistical 
power  of  the  former  came  from  without  and  within. 

From  without,  it  began  to  show  itself  in  the  first  days 
of  the  Mission.     The  Senecas  claimed  the  land  on  whicli) 
Goschgoschiink  was  situated,  and  by  their  permissionj 
the  Monseys  had  built  the  town.     To  make  it  the  seat 
of  a  Christian  Church  was  a  project  which,  according 
to  aboriginal  law,  must  be  submitted  for  approval  to  the^ 
propric  taries  of  the  domain.    This  Zeisberger  well  knew. 


1  Zeisberger's  MS.  Hist,  of  the  Indiana. 


342 


LIFE  AND   TIMES   OF 


y 


and  had  determined  upon   an  embassy  to  Hagastaak, 
the  sachem  of  Zoncaschio.     But  while  he  was  still  the 
guest  of  Wangoraen,  there  came  a  Seneca  chief,  with  an 
escort,  from   i;he   Onenge,  who,   upon    hearing   of  the 
presence  of  the  white  teachers,  burst  into  so  vehement  a 
iiood  of  denunciation   that   Zeisberger   had  to  be  con- 
coaled  from  its  fury.     A  week  later,  a  mysterious  mes- 
sage was  brought:  "  Cousins!  you  that  dwell  at  Gosch- 
goschUnk,    you    have     cause    to    be    afraid.      Danger 
/threatens  you!"     Accompanying  it  were  alarming  sym- 
bols— a  string  of  wampum,  a  stick  painted  red,  with 
several   prongs,  and   a   leaden    bullet.      This   message 
caused  much  sensation,  its  origin  being  unknown,  and 
its  words    enigmatical.     Zeisberger,  indeed,  soon    dis- 
covered  that  it  had  been  carried  by  two  Onondagas  and 
;  a  Cayuga  of  his  acquaintance,  who  professed   to  have 
(received  it  from  a  Seneca  sachem;  but  it  continued  a 
source  of  much  embarrassment.     A  fortnight  later,  it 
was   followed   by  another,  ostensibly  from   Hagastaak, 
and   enforced   by  a   bunch   of   wampum,  or   as   many 
strings  as  a  man  can    hold  in  one   hand.     "  Cousins," 
this  ran,  "you  that  live  at  GoschgoschUnk,  on  the  Alle- 
\  ghany  downward,  and  you   Shawanese !    I   have   risen 
I  from  my  seat  and  looked  around  to  see  what  is  trans- 
ipiring  in  our  country.     I  see  a  man  in   a  black  coat. 
(Against  him  I  warn  you.     Avoid  the  man  in  a  black 

J 

-(  coat.     Believe  not  what  he  tells  you.     He  will  deceive 
I  your   hearts!"     A  message  like   this  was,  in   the   last 
degree,  pernicious.      The   powerful    sachem  of  Zones- 
achio,  with  all  the  authority  of  his  office,  as  a  deputy 


D^r/Z)   ZEISDEROER. 


343 


Eagastaak, 
s  still  the 
f,  with  an 
ig   of  the 
ehcniont  a 
:o  be  eon- 
nous  mes- 
at  Gosch- 
Danger 
iiing  sym- 
red,  with 
message 
nown,  and 
soon    dis- 
dagas  and 
i   to  have 
)ntinued  a 
t  later,  it 
lagastaak, 
as   many 
Cousins," 
the  Alle- 
lave   risen 
t  is  trans- 
lack  coat. 

I  a  black 

II  deceive 
the  last 

3f  Zones- 
a  deputy 


of  tlie  Grand  Council,  incites  the  Delawares  of  the 
whole  Alleghany  valley,  and  even  the  Shawanese,  who 
live  two  hundred  miles  off,  against  Zeisberger  and  his 
work,  although  he  knows  him  to  be  his  peer  in  the 
Confederacy.  However  keenly  Zeisberger  felt  the  in- 
dignity, his  faith  wavered  not,  and  he  met  it,  in  his 
journal,  with  an  appeal  to  the  Lord,  in  whose  name  and 
by  whose  will  he  had  established  himself  on  the  Alle- 
ghany, leaving  the  issue  in  His  hands.  Not  long  after 
this,  menaces  came  from  the  capital  of  the  Delawares, 
obscure  in  their  import,  but  yet  evidently  directed 
against  the  Mission.  And  finally,  a  report  spread,  which 
gained  general  credence,  that  certain  New  England  In- 
dians, lately  returned  from  a  visit  to  Old  England,  were 
the  bearers  of  a  letter  from  the  British  King,  warning 
the  natives  of  every  name  in  his  American  Colonies  to 
beware  of  the  Moravians,  who  would  lead  them  not 
to  heaven,  but  to  hell.  These  were  some  of  the  mani- 
festations of  the  antichristian  spirit  that  warred  against 
the  Gospel  from  without. 

From  within,  this  spirit  was  still  more  vehement,  and 
rendered  the  situation  of  the  missionaries  far  more 
perilous.  The  first  instance  of  it  was  the  prediction  ofi 
a  sorcerer,  that  worms  would  destroy  the  corn  crop,( 
because  there  were  white  teachers  in  the  country. 
After  a  time,  they  began  to  perceive  that  their  enemies, 
particularly  among  the .  women  led  on  by  Wangoraen's 
sister,  were  doing  their  utmost  to  prevent  the  Indians 
from  attending  religious  service.  This  opposition 
became  gradually  bolder;  here  and  there  squaws  raigh]^ 


w 

ihl 

V. 

1 

J 

1  r  ^ 

■■  i', 

1 '' 

l< 


•( 


844 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


-V*: 


yf 


X 


be  beard  publicly  denouncing  the  Christian  colony,  and 
asserting  that,  since  its  coming,  the  game  had  disap- 
peared from  the  forests,  the  trees  had  ceased  to  produce 
chestnuts,  and  the  bushes  whortleberries.  The  young 
men  now  lent  their  aid.  They  disturbed  the  meetings 
in  the  Mission  House,  and  tilled  the  town  with  threats. 
"  The  two  white  men  ought  to  be  killed,"  said  some  of 
them.  "  Yes,  and  all  the  baptized  Indians  with  them, 
and  their  bodies  thrown  into  the  Alleghany,"  added 
others.  Incited  by  such  sayings,  the  sons  of  the  chief 
of  the  lower  town  formed  a  plot  to  murder  Zcisberger, 
which  was,  however,  detected  before  it  could  be  carried 
out. 

Toward   the    end  of  July,   the    principal    powwow 
himself.     "  The    manitous,"   he    said,   "  are 

We 


/bestirred 

1   **" 


'P' 


.<».. 


m 


^<v 


/ 


/ 


/ 


I  angry  with  us  because  we  harbor  white  teachers. 
I  must  sacrifice  to  appease  their  wrath."  Accordingly, 
j  one  night  a  hog  was  slaughtered  and  a  sacrificial  feast 
j  instituted.  The  savages  sat  in  a  hut,  in  total  darkness, 
^T  and  silently  gorged  themselves  with  meat,  while  the 
voice  of  the  powwow  was  lifted  up,  appealing  to  the 
manitous  to  accept  the  oii'ering  of  swine's  flesh  which  he 
brought.  After  a  time,  he  announced  that  they  were 
propitiated.  Thereupon  the  Indians  emerged  from  the 
darkness — fit  emblem  of  their  wicked  rites — and  retired 
to  their  several  wigwams. 

But  it  was  especially  after  the  message  from  Zones- 
schio  had  been  received  that  the  hostility  of  the  savages 
increased.  Wangomen  had,  thus  far,  been  passive,  and 
treated  the  missionaries  with  courtesy ;  but  now,  sup- 


CivCfe, 


v^Vt^U^v 


h  '•'■.l^.u: 


i^-v'V 


DAVID   ZEISBEROER. 


345 


ported,  as  he  believed  himself  to  be,  by  so  powerful"  a  ■ 
sachem  as  Ilagustaak,  ho  threw  off  his  mantle  and  stood  | 
revealed  in  the  nakedness  of  his  malice.     Going  from  [ 
luit  to  hut,  he  forbade   his  people  to  attend  Christiaiij 
service  in  the  Mission  House.    Not  a  few,  who  had  been 
regular  worshipers,  became  alarmed,  and   ol)cyed  this 
interdict;  while  two  young  warriors  broke  up  the  next 
meeting  which  Zeisberger  attempted  to  liold,  and  tried 
to  draw  him  into  a  dispute  and  the  utterance  of  harsh 
words,  so   that  they   might  have   n  pretext  to  murder 
him.     His  calmness,  however,  and  the  firm  attitude  of 
the  converts,  prevented  this  second  j)lot  against  his  life. 
Such  were  some  of  the  means  employed  in  the  town 
itself  to  hinder  the  spread  of  the  Gospel. 

Amid  this  antagonism  from  without  and  within,  Zeis-  , 
berger  and  Senseman  stood  fast,  preaching  with  such/ 
power,  and  laboring  with  such  energy,  that  they  estab-,-- 
lished  for   themselves   a   noi   inconsiderable  influence,/ 
gained  some  souls  for  the  Gospel,  and  induced  others  to] 
seek  the  Truth. 

Of  their  confidence,  Zeisberger's  journal  gives  fre- 
quent proofs.  While  his  enemies  were  most  violent, 
he  sat  in  the  Mission  House  by  night,  and  wrote  :  "  Will 
it  be  possible  for  these  adversaries  to  prevent  the  spread 
of  God's  Word  ?  They  will  certainly  not  succeed,  for 
He  that  is  with  us  is  stronger  than  they."  When 
informed  of  the  plot  to  murder  him,  he  recorded  his 
presentiment  of  such  a  catastrophe,  and  his  willingness 
to  sutler,  if  God  had  foreordained  him  to  a  vi  >lent  death, 
but  expressed  a  hope  that  it  might  not  occur  in  a  reli- 


^''  / 


t   /- 


•y,/' 


346 


7 


C-4-i.  '*  i.'-<  ■(   L  w^sy 


L/Fii;  AND   TIMES  OF 


in  -I 


/ 


/ 


gious  service.  And  when  his  Indian  companions  began 
to  be  discouraged,  and  to  speak  of  returning  to  Frie- 
denshiitten,  ho  inspired  them  with  new  zeal,  so  that  all, 
except  Peter  and  Abigail,  remained  at  their  post. 

The  influence  of  the  Mission  was  illustrated  by  the 

success  with  which  it  kept  from  the  savages  the  luring 

cup  of  "  iire-water."     Traders  were  forbidden  to  sell  it 

,.  at  Goschgoschlink,  and  a  petition,  drawn  up  by  Zeis- 

berger  and  signed  by  all  the  headmen  of  the  clan,  was 

[sent  to  Justice  Elliott,  at  Fort  Pitt,  asking  liim  to  pre- 

'vent  its  introduction.'     Nor  was  it  less  an  evidence  of 

Christian  power  in   so  no',  jrious  a  nest  of  murderers, 

that,  after  the  second  attemnt  had  been  made  to  take 

Zeisbernfcr's    life,    those    Monseys    who    attended    his 

preaching  held  a  council,  and  appointed  two  of  their 

number  to  administer  a  public   reproof  to  the  young 

men  engaged  in  the  plot.     That  God's  Word  v/as  not 

proclaimed  in  vain  its  most  vindictive  opponents  had  to 

lacknowledge.     Goschgoschlink  separated  into  a  Chris- 

Itian  andjiheathen  party.     At  iirst  the  former  timidly 

succumbed  to  every  persecution.     By-and-by,  however, 

it  gained  courage  and  stood  forth  openly  on  the  side  of 

the  Gospel,  while  several  of  its  adherents  built  them- 

, selves  huts  around  the  Mission  House.     The  accession 

iof  Allemowi  and  of  Gendaskund,  a  distinguished  head- 

/man,  was  the  crowning  triumph  of  this  party. 

We  have  thus  seen  the  character  of  the  struggle  be- 
tween light  and  darkness  which  rendered  memorable 


i 


1  Copy  of  Petition.     MS.  B.  A. 


^i" 


DAVID  ZEISDERGEB. 


847 


on 8  began 
;  to  Fric- 
o  that  all, 

DSt. 

ed  by  the 
the  luring 
II  to  sell  it 
t  by  Zeis- 
clan,  was 
im  to  pre- 
idence  of 
nurderers, 
le  to  take 
jnded  his 
0  of  their 
he  young 
i  v,^as  not 
nts  had  to 
0  a  Chris- 
er  timidly 
,  however, 
he  side  of 
uilt  them- 
)  accession 
hed  head- 

ruggle  be- 
[lemorable 


the  cstablMli'toilt  oJ\the  first  Protestant  Mission  beyond 
the  Alleghanics.  This  struggle  was,  indeed,  not  yet  at 
an  end,  but  the  missionaries  could  no  longer  be  driven 
back  to  the  Susquehanna.  Should  they  be  obliged  to 
retire  from  Goschgoschiink,  which  they  anticipated, 
they  wouhl  carry  the  (3  0si)el  westward. 

Zoisberger  now  took  into  serious  consideration    the^ 
unfriendly  attitude  of  the  Senecas.     It  appeared  to  him 
important  to  conciliate  Hagastaak  by  a  formal  embassy, 
but  the  Monseys  wore  not  of  his  mind.     In  sympathy' 
with  their  fellow-tribes,  their  feelings  toward  the  Six  j 
Nations  had  received  a  groat  shock  in  the  Pontiac  Con-j 


tl-. 


spiracy.     The  Iroquois,  and  especially  the  Senecas,  had   K — - 
incited  the  Dolawares  to  take  part  in  that  war,  and  had 
then  helped  the  English  to  humble   them.      This  du 
plicity  received  its  due  reward.     The  influence  of  th 
League  was  broken.     The  Delawares  practically,  if  not 
by  a  national  act,  shook  oft'  the  yoke  of  their  vassalage 
and    scouted    the    idea    of   being   "  women."      Hence 
the  Christian  party  at  Goschgoschiink  wanted  to  defy 
Hagastaak,  and  deemed   an  informal  notice  sufiicient,  i 
which  AUemewi  had  given   him,  of  the  establishment] 
of  the  Mission.     At  last,  however,  they  yielded  to  thef 
persuasions  of  Zoisberger,  and  a  deputation,  consisting' 
of   himself,    Senseman,    Abraham,    and  two  Monseys, 
left  Goschgoschiink  in   October  for  the  capital  of  th^ 
Senecas. 

They  found  that  Hagastaak  was  attending  the  Con- 
gress at  Fort  Stanwix,  where  three  thousand  Indians 
were   gathered  to  settle  a  sfeneral    boundary  with    the 


348 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


'mm 


I 


Middle  Colonies.  A  line  was  established  which  "began 
at  the  north,  where  Canada  Creek  joins  Wood  Creek, 
and  leaving  Xcw  York,  passed  from  the  nearest  ibrk 
of  the  West  Branch  of  the  Snsquehanna  to  Kittanning 
on  the  Alleghany,  whence  't  followed  that  river  and  the 
Ohio  down  to  the  Tennessee."^  The  wide  area  which 
Pennsylvania  thus  secured  embraced  Friedenshiitten 
and  all  the  land  of  the  Susquehanna  Mission. 

In  the  absence  of  Ilagastaak,  the  embassy  from  Gosch- 
goschlink  iiad  an  interview  with  his  councilors ;  and, 
while  Abraham  asked  for  leave  to  transfer  the  Mission 
to  the  Seneca  territory  on  the  Onenge,  Zeisberger  de- 
livered an  earnest  protest  against  the  warning  which 
had  emanated,  at  least  ostensibly,  from  the  Council  of 
Zonesschio.  He  appealed  to  the  character  of  his  work, 
to  his  long  residence  among  the  Aquauoschioni,  to  his 
adoption  into  one  of  their  nations,  and  asked  whether 
these  things  ought  not  to  keep  the  Seuecas  from  in- 
citing the  Delawares  and  Shawanese,  or  Indians  of  any 
other  name,  against  his  doctrines  and  his  life.  The 
Council  assured  him  that  the  warning  of  which  he  com- 
plained had  never  been  issued  by  them,  but  had  been 
devised  by  irresponsible  parties;  and  promised  to  lay 
the  petition  for  a  grant  of  land  on  the  Onenge  before 
Ilagastaak. 

Meanwhile  Allemewi  had  opened  negotiations  with 
the  three  tribal  chiefs  of  the  Delawares,  namely,  Neta- 


1  Bancroft's   TJ.  S.,  vi.  227,  228;    Ponn.  Col.  Records,  ix.  554,  555; 
Penn.  Archives,  iv.  308,  309;  Taylor's  Ohio,  181. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGEB. 


349 


wiitweSj|_jQJLthe.  TjiT'tle  T.i^^  or  Amochk, 

of  the  .Turkey  Tribe^  uud  Packaixke,  of  the  Wolf  Tribe. 
He  found  that  the  threutening  message  which  had  been 
brought  in  their  name  to  Goschgoschiink  was  likewise 
spurious,  and  that  they  favored  the  Mission.     Packanke  < 
added,  that  the  land  on  the  Onenge  was  his,  and  did  not>- 
bclong  to  tlie  Senecaa,  and  that  he  would  be  glad  to  seej 
it  occupied  by  Christian  Indians. 

Such  friendly  responses  were  not  without  their  iuflu-N 
euce  at  Goschgoschiink.  The  Christian  party  separatedf 
more  completely  from  the  heathen,  and  took  a  morej 
decided  stand  in  favor  of  the  Gospel.  Seven  huts, 
inhabited  by  six  families,  now  clustered  around  thej* 
Mission  House. 


'  Netawiitwos,  who  was   often  callod   King  Nowcomor,  from   New 
comorstown,  or  Gokcleniukpccliunk,  his  capitiil,  was   the  head  of  thO(     . 
Delaware  Nation.     Colonel  Bouquet  had  deposed  him  for  refusing  to  f*       ^^ 
attend  a  conference  at  the  close  of  the  Pontiac  War,  but  this  deposition!  ^ 
was  merely  nominal,  and  did  not  invalidate  his  authority  among  thoJ''>*T  '/ 
natives. 


■/; 


350 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER    XIX. 


ZEISBERGER  AT  LAWUXAKIIANNEK.— 17C9, 1770. 


J^ 


Wholesale  slimghter  of  door. — Opposition  to  the  Christian  party  breaks 
out  afresh. — Sacrificial  feasts. — The  Mission  temporarily  removed  to 
Lawunakhannek. — The  new  settlement  in  the  heart  of  the  present 
Oil  Region. — Zoisberger's  account  of  the  wells. — His  hopes  of  tJie 
ultii..ate  triumph  of  the  Gospel. — Glikkikan's  first  visit  to  the 
Mission. — He  comes  as  the  champion  of  heathenism  and  leaves 
convicted  of  sin. — Anthony's  sententious  arguments. — A  dire  famine. 
— Zeisberger  and  Senseman  go  to  Fort  Pitt  to  procure  food. — A 
frontier  Indian  war  prevented  by  this  visit. — The  ruins  of  Fort 
Venango. — Glikkikan  brings  an  invitation  from  Packankc  to  transfer 
the  Mission  to  his  land. — The  first  baptisms  at  Lawunakhannek. 
— Allemewi  baptized. — I'ackanko's  oft'er  accepted. — The  farewell 
council  instituted  by  Wangomcn. — Departure  from  Lawunak- 
hannek. 


.> 


In  the  beginning  of  1769,  the  hunters  of  the  clan 

'^'returned  from  their  autumnal  chase,  bringing  the  pelts 

of  more  than  two  thousand  deer.     The  fur  trade  had 

greatly  increased  after  the   Pontiac  War;   hence  such 

1  wholesale  slaughter,  by  wliich  the  deer  in  the  valley  of 

'  the  Alleghany  were  almost  extirpated. 

Some  of  these  hunters  had  been  violent  opponents  of 
the  Gospel;  but  now  they  began  to  be  present  at  the 
services  of  the  Mission.  This  excited  the  heathen  party 
anew.  The  same  falsehoods  were  revived  that  had 
been  used  with  such  success  when  the  Mission  was  first 
established.      Nightly  dances  were,  moreover,  planned 


o 


DAVID   ZEISBERGER. 


351 


and  sacrificial  feasts  inaugurated,  to  which  the  con- 
verts received  urgent  invitations.  They  continued  true 
to  their  Christian  vows,  however,  without  exception. 

Such  feasts  deserve  a  more  particular  description. 
They  wercfivii__in_jj^ml)fir.  Tji£_^r8t^hi;ce  consisted 
of  otferiu^sofbear's  meat  or  venison,  which  was  pro- 
cured by  a  hunting-party  appcMited  for  this  purpose. 
While  such  a  party  was  on  the  chase,  women  garnished 
the  house  in  which  the  sacrifice  was  to  be  held.  On 
their  return,  the  hunters  fired  a  volley  in  the  outskirts 
of  the  town,  as  a  signal,  and  then  moved  to  the  lodge 
in  procession,  carrying  their  game.  There  the  guests 
seated  themselves  on  litters  of  grass,  and  were  supplied 
with  meat  and  corn-bread.  Portions  of  the  fat,  together 
with  the  bones,  were  cast  into  the  fire ;  all  the  rest  was 
eaten.  A  feast  was  repe;  '^ed  for  three  or  four  succes- 
sive days,  l/cginning  in  the  afternoon,  and  continuing 
through  the  n'  ''ht  until  morning. 

At  the  fijcst  te.  "rificCjafter  each  meal,  there  was  a  slow 
and  measured  d  uce,  led  by  an  li'dian  rattling  a  small,  >•' 
tortoise-shell  filled  with  pebbles,  and  singing  of  dreams, 
or  chanting  the  names  of  the  various  manitous  which  .^^x 
the  assembled  company  worshiped.  The  second 
diftered  from  this  merely  in  the  disgusting  appear- 
ance of  the  men,  who,  before  beginning  to  dance, 
stripped  themselves  to  their  })reech-cloths  and  smeared 
their  persons  with  white  clay.  At  the  third,  ten  or 
more  tanned  deer-skins  were  distributed  among  old 
men  and  women,  who  wrapped  them  around  their 
shoulders,  left  the  house,  and,  turning  to  the  east,  in- 


■'..-. 


'v.. 


,v,'-l 


A"^ 


ft) 


V/ 


; 


>/ 


..-t 


gi- 


.;i352 


L/F^  ^iV^/>    T/Jf£:S  OiJ' 


I  p 


^  / 


,x' 


voked  the  Great  Spirit  on  behalf  of  the  family  which 
••gave  the  feast. 

The  foiirtli  was  called  Machtugu.  It  required  an  oven, 
[constrncted  of  twelve  pieces  of  twelve  difl'erent  sorts  of 
Vwood,  not  more  and  not  less,  and  covered  closely  with 
jblankets.  Into  this  were  put  twelve  stones  of  medium 
'size,  heated  to  their  greatest  intensity,  and  then  the 
entertainer  crept  in,  with  eleven  guests,  strewing 
/  jtobacco  upon  the  stones,  and  praying  to  his  raanitou. 
Meanwhile  a  friend,  hired  with  twelve  fathoms  of  wam- 
pum, stood  in  front  of  a  post  covered  with  the  head  and 
hide  of  a  buck,  and,  turning  his  face  toward  the  east, 
called  upon  the  same  manitou.  This  continued  until 
the  occupants  of  the  oven  were  unconscious,  when  they 
were  dragged  out.  A  feast  of  bear's  meat  began  as 
soon  as  they  had  revived.      4£2C^{^£!<^ep^ted^_twfii£,e 

tJ£i2S^J3ii^'A^-i'' -Si^'i  certain  of  salvation. 
At  the  last  feast  the  Indians  gorged  themselves  with 

!^the  flesh  of  the  bear,  which  they  devoured  as  long  as 
they  could,  in  the  natural  way.  "When  this  was  no 
longer  possible,  they  forced  it  down  their  throats  until 
the  stomach  rejected  the  monstrous  load.  Thereupon 
they  fell  to  again,  passed  through  the  same  ordeal, 
/and  finally  drank  the  liquid  fat.  The  sicker  they  got, 
and  the  more  frequently  they  vomited,  the  better 
pleased  was  the  manitou. 

-  '^^^1'*^  were   never   less   than  four  Indians  engaged 

o  w'ait^nMthe  guests.     Their  pay  was  wampum,  and 

hey  had,  moreover,  the  privilege   of  selling  refresh- 

Iments  to  the   spectators,  who  gathered  from  far  and 


'i 


DAVID  ZEISBEROER. 


353 


ly  which 

an  oven, 
t  sorts  of 
sely  with 

medium 

then  the 

strewing 

maniton. 

of  wara- 

head  and 

the  east, 

:ied  until 

hen  they 

began  as 

Ives  with 
3  long  as 
was  no 
'ats  until 
lereupon 
5  ordeal, 
they  got, 
3    better 

engagejd 
iim,  and 
refresh- 
far  and 


near.      On  the   last  day,  rum-dealers  generally   made  . 
their  appearance,  so  that  drunken  brawls  and  murders''' 
usually  formed   the  close  of  these  gross  rites.      What 
some  of  them  imported,  the  natives  were  themselves 
unable  to  explain.      They_could3ot__eyeji__^ive_intd^ 
llgibly  JJie_j2ifiiuniig_of^lj_Jhe_^  nani£^^^ 
feasts  \\3u:ie3»ii2iy-Jtl^---^Ptbiii^  shp       tb.e  bw^tejidency  j 
of  theh'_r9J[i^iin_rnqre  clearly  than  these  sacrifices.* 

About  the  time  that  they  were  employed  at  Gosch- 
goschiink  to  lure  the  Christian  party  from  their  faith, 
Wangomen  returned  to  the  village,  after  a  protracted 
absence,  and    lent    all   his    influence  to    the  heathen 
faction,  whose  persecutions  grew    to    be    intolerable. 
Another    savage   willfullj'   broke    the   regulation   with) 
regard    to    strong    drink,   and   introduced   such   quan-j 
tities  of  it  that  drunkenness  became  common.     The 
converts  were  discouraged,  and  Zeisberger  recognized 
the  necessity  of  removing  the  Mission  to  some  other 
place,  where  it  would  be  undisturbed,  until  he  could 
determine   in    what    part    of   the   Western   wilderness 
to  establish  it  permanently.      To  this  end  he  selecte'9\ 
Lawunakhannek,  three  miles  above  Goschgoschiink,  on) 
the  eastern  bank  of  the  river,  whither  all  the  Chris- 
tian Indians,  except  two  families,  betook  themselves^ 
in  April,   in   spite  of  the  opposition   of  the  heathen 
party,  that  was  glad  to  see  the  teachers  go,  but  unwill- 
ing to  have  their  town  depopulated  by  the  exodus  oX 
any  of  its  native  inhabitants. 

>  Zeisbergor's  MS.  History  of  the  Indians. 
23 


Ill 


*» 


II 


■"^ 


ky 


..>-• 


354 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


^^     The  new  village,  which  consisted  of  substantial  log- 

'  /houses  and  a  chapel,  stood  in  the  heart  of  tjie  present 

Oil  Region.     Its  rich  springs  were  known  in  that  early 

day.     Both  Indians  and  traders  prized  the  petroleum 

j  for  its  medicinal  qualities,  but  its  excellency  as  a  burn- 

i  ing  fluid  was  not  appreciated.' 

As  soon  as  the  Christian  Indians  had  left  Goschgosch- 

unk,  it  relapsed  into  still  grosser  darkness.     But  Zeis- 

berger's  faith  in  the   power   of   the    Gospel    remained 

/'unshaken.     "We  have   now  lived,"  he  writes,  "for  ten 

\montlis    between    the    two   towns    of    Goschgoschunk. 

(That  the  Saviour  has  kept  and  preserved  us  amid  these 

(godless  and  malicious  savages  is  wonderful.     They  have 

heard,  but   they  resist,  the   Gospel,  not  only  because 

they  are   blind,  and  under  the  influence  of  the  Prince 

of  Evil,  but  also  because  they  are  desperately  wicked. 

I  doubt  not,  however,  that  more  than  one  among  them 

will  yet  be  convicted  of  sin,  rud  seek  forgiveness  with 

Jesus."^ 


1 


1  Zeisborgcr  says,  "  IJiavcLJPW)  .tlipee  kinds  of  oil  spriQgs,— ^ucli  us 
have  an  outlet,  such  as  have  nonCj  and  siich  as  rise  from  thojjottora  of 
creeks.  From  tlie  first  water  and  oil  flow  out  together,  the  oil  impreg- 
nating the  grass  and  soil ;  in  the  second  it  gathers  on  the  surface  of  the 
water  to  the  depth  of  the  thickness  of  a  finger ;  from  the  third  it  rises 
to  the  surface  and  flows  with  the  current  of  the  creek.  The  Indians 
prefer  wells  without  an  outlet.  From  such  they  first  dip  the  oil  that 
has  accumulated ;  then  stir  the  well,  and,  when  the  water  has  settled, 
fill  their  kettles  with  fre.?h  oil,  which  they  purify  by  boiling.  It  is 
used  medicinally,  as  an  ointment,  for  toothache,  headache,  swellings, 
rheumatism,  and  sprains.  Sometimes  it  is  taken  internally.  It  is  of 
a  brown  color,  andean  also  be  used  in  lamps.  It  burns  well." — Zeis- 
bei-ger's  MS.  History  of  the  Indians. 

'  Zcisberger's  Journal.     MS.  B.  A. 


■4 


._-V 


V 

7^ 


Z>^  r/T)   AFASBFAIGER. 


355 


In  the  begiiinin^of  June^  he  met  Glikkikaii  for  the 
first  time,  who_  subsecjuently  became__tl^e^jaio§t^^stjn- 
guished  convert  pfjtlie^Western   Mission.     A  captain, 
the  speaker  in   the  Council  of  Kaskaskunk,  and  Pac- 
kanke's   principal    adviser,  his  fame  as  a  warrior  wa^ 
eclipsed   only    by   his    reputation    for    eloquence.      He 
had  fought  in  many  a  battle,  both  in  the  internecine 
wars  of  the  Indians  and  the  protracted  struggle  of  the 
French  against  the  English  ;  and  he  had  made  many  a 
council-house  ring  with  bursts  of  native  oratory.     Even 
the  white  man  was  no  match  for  him.     At  Venango,  he 
had  sileiiced_^tlie_  Jesujts,  who  wojild  have  gon verted  his 
nation  j^at^  Tuscarawas,  Frederick  Post  had  succumbed 
t£  his, power.     And  now  he  came  to  confound  the  mis- 
sionaries on  the  Alleghany.     Soon  after  their  arrival, 
he  had  sent  them  a  tantalizing  message  with  regard  to  { 
the  manufacture  of  gunpowder,  and  ever  since  that  time  j 
this  visit,  which  was  to  result  in  their  disgraceful  retreat; 
to  the    settlements,   had   been   anxiously   expected   by' 
Wangomen,  who  was  his  brother,  and  the  other  leaders  ■■ 
of  paganism.     These  escorted  him  to  the  Mission  House 
at  Lawunakhannek  in  a  body.     He  had  prepared  him- 
self   for   the   interview,    considered   the   points   of  his 
harangue,  and,  in    fact,  committed   its   very  words  to* 
memory;  but,  when  in  sight  of  the  town,  be  could  not 
recall  a  single  sentence,  as  he  afterward  acknowledged, 
and  wisely  resolved  first  to  hear  what  the  Christians 
would  say.     Zeisberger  being  absent,  Anthony  received) 
him.     "Anthony,"  writes  the  former,  "was  as  eager  to) 
bring  souls  to  Christ  as  a  hunter's  hound  is  eager  toj 


K-' 


\- 


'J 


-     Vw, 


^J-' -■''-' 


v.-v 


356 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


.chase   the  deer."     Placing  food  before   his  guests,  he 
limrnediately  introduced  the  subject  of  religion. 

"My  friends,"  he  said,  "hear  me;  I  will  tell  you  a 
great  thing.  God  made  the  heavens,  the  earth,  and  all 
things  that  in  them  are.  Nothing  exists  which  God 
has  not  made."  Pausing  a  little,  he  continued,  "God 
has  created  us.  But  who  of  us  knows  his  Creator? 
Not  one  !  I  tell  you  the  truth,  not  one!  For  we  have 
fallen  away  from  God ;  we  are  polluted  creatures ;  our 
minds  are  darkened  by  sin."  Here  he  sat  down,  and 
was  silent  a  long  time.  Suddenly  rising  again,  he 
exclaimed,  "  That  God,  who  made  all  things  and 
created  us,  came  into  the  world  in  the  form  and 
fashion  of  a  man.  Why  did  He  thus  come  into  the 
world?  Think  of  this  !"  He  resumed  after  awhile:  "I 
will  show  you.  God  became  a  man,  and  took  upon 
himself  flesh  and  blood,  in  order  that,  as  man.  He 
might  reconcile  the  world  unto  himself.  By  His  bitter 
death  on  the  Cross  He  procured  for  us  life  and  eternal 
salvation,  redeeming  us  from  sin,  from  death,  and  from 
,the  power  of  the  devil."  In  such  apothegms  he  un- 
I  folded  the  whole  Gospel.  When  he  had  liuished,  Zeis- 
;berger,  who  had  meanwhile  entered  the  house,  briefly 
j  corroborated  his  words,  and  exhorted  Glikkikan  to  lay 
them  to  heart. 

Glikkikan  was  an  honest  man,  and  open  to  conviction. 

\  He  upheld  the  superstitions  of  his  fathers  because  he 

had  not  yet  been  convinced  of  the  reality  of  Christian 

j  faith.     On  this  occasion,  however,  the  truth  began   to 

j  dawn  upon  his  mind.     In  place  of  his  elaborate  speech, 


DAVID   ZEISBERGEE. 


357 


res ;  our 


■/ 


;l 


he  merely  replied :  "  I  have  nothing  to  say.  I  believe 
your  words."  And  when  he  returned  to  Goschgosehunk, 
instead  of  announcing  the  discomfiture  of  the  teachers, 
he  urged  the  people  to  go  to  hear  the  Gospel,  and  re- 
proved them  for  their  wickedness.  lie  had  been  hired, 
like  Balaam,  to  curse  God's  own,  but,  like  Balaam,  he 
wfis  constrained  to  bless  them. 

About  this  time,  a  dire  famine  broke  out  along  the 
Alleghany,  and  compelled  Zeisberger  and  Senseman  to 
visit  Fort  Pitt,  where  Mellegan,  a  trader  and  corre- 
spondent of  "William  Henry,  of  Lancaster,  supplied 
their  wants,  according  to  instructions  from  the  Mission 
Board. 

Their    arrival  was    opportune.     Depredations,  com- 
mitted by  irresponsible  bands  of  Senecas,  on  their  way 
to  the  south  country,  had  been  understood  by  the  com- 
mandant, and  the  settlers  as  far  as  Ligonier,  to  signify 
war.     Great  consternation  prevailed.     Many  farms  were 
deserted ;    from    others   the  women   and   children   had 
been  sent  away ;    while  at  the  fort  active  preparations 
were  going  on  to  punish  the  savages.     Coming  from 
the  heart  of  the  Indian  territory,  Zeisberger  knew  this 
to  be  a  false  alarm,  and  reassured  the  commandant.     A 
rising   among   the  AVostern    Indians,  he   said,  was   not 
thought  of.     He  would  ask  them,  on  his  return,  to  send  / 
peace-messages  to  the  fort,  to  substantiate  this  assertion,  j 
"With  regard  to  the  mode  of  treating  the  aborigines  in/ 
general,  he  gave  the  commandant  such  counsel  as  his! 
long  residence  among  them  suggested,  and  urged  par-1 
ticularly  the  appointment  of  an  Indian  agent  for   tlie/ 


1 


f: 


368 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


I  <-' 


^^^ 


z' 


/' 


ill 


i 


ill 


Wodt.  Thus  Zeisborger  saved  the  border  from  a  con- 
tlict  which  might  have  grown  into  a  protracted  war. 
Ill  response  to  his  appeal,  the  tribes  of  tlic  Alleghany 
hastened   to    bring  white   belta  and   friendly  messages. 

,  Ooniidence  was  restored. 

The  trail  baek  to  the  Mis.  n  led  him  over  the  site  of 
Fort  VenatJgo,  one  of  the  posts  destroyed  in  the  Pontiac 
War.  '•  The  fort,"  he  writes,  "was  entirely  consumed. 
A  short  distance  from  it  stood  a  saw-mill.  This  the 
Indians  spared,  probably  with  the  intention  of  using 
it,  but  not  understanding  its  machinery,  it  has  been 
[neglected  and  fallen  to  pieces.  On  the  bank  above 
Onenge  we   found  a  cannon    of  curious  workmanship, 

.'brought  that  far  by  the  savages  from  tlio  fort.     Had  we 

Idiscovered  it  on  our  way  down  we  would  have  taken  it 

(along  to  Fort  Pitt." » 

A  second  visit  from  Glikki^kan  cheerod^lus  heart.    He 
came  to  tell  him  that  h(>  had  determined  to  embrace 

^Christianity,  and  to  invite  him,  in  the  name  of  Packanke, 

|to  settle  near  Kaskaskunk,  on  a   tract  of  land  which 

I  should  be  reserved  for  the  exclusive  use  of  the  Mission. 

:  "Wangomen  had  been  intrusted  with  a  similar  invitation, 
months  before  this,  from  all  the  three  tribal  chiefs,  but 
had  never  delivered  it.     Zeisberger  saw  the  advantages 

*■  of  the  offer.  Deeming  himself,  however,  unauthorized 
to  accept  it,  he  sent  t\yp  runners  to  the  Board  at  Beth- 
lehem, asking  for  instructions.     The  Board  gave  him 

;  unlimited  power  to  act  as  he  might  deem  best. 


1  ZeisbiTgei-  .Juurnal.     MS.  B.  A. 


% 


DAVJD  ZEISBRRGER. 


359 


:i 


Pleasing  experiences  were  now  in  store  for  him.  In 
the  early  hours  of  a  Dece^inber  ^vening^  the  first  Pro t 
estant  baptism  in  thejralj^;  ofj^ie^^^iio^fjiftii^:  took  pla^e 
at  Lawiinakhannek,  and  was  administered  to  Luko 
and  Paulina.  It  was  followed,  at  Christmas,  by  that  of 
AUemewi,  who  was  named  Solomon.  In  the  beginning 
of  the  new  year  several  other  converts  were  added  tQ^ 
the  Church. 

The  power  of  the  heathen  party  was  broken,  through 
the  unexpected  defection  of  Glikkikan,  and  the  j'crse 
cutions,  from  which  the  Mission  liad  so  long  suffered 
came  to  an  end.      As  the  converts  had  accepted  tho) 
offer  of  Packankc,  and  were  about  to  withdraw  fromi 
Lawuuakhannek,  Wangomen    invited  them,  and  their 
teachers,  to   a   farewell-council,  at  whieh   he   proposed 
that  they  should  part   as   friends,  and   apologized   for 
the  two  attempts  which  had  been  made,  by  his  young, 
people,  to  take  Zeisbergcr's  life.     In  reply,  Zeisbergerf 
forgave  all    tho  injuries  which   he  had   endured  while 
among  the  tribe,  and  once  more  earnestly  appealed  to 
them  to  turn  to  tho  living  God. 

On    the^acj-gntcenth    of   -4P£J^>  1770,  the   Christian,^ 
Indian-^    left    Lawunjikhannek    in   fifteen   canoes.     As) 
they  approached   Ooschgoschlink,  its  inhabitants  came 
down  to  th    bank  to  see  them  pass,  from  which,  unex- 
pectedl}-  to  all,  a  solitary  canoe  put  off  and  joined  them. 
It  contained  Gcndaskund  and  his  family.     Celebrating 
this  open   triumph  in    the  ad:  of  their  departure,  the  ^' 
converts   swept   out   of    sight   of    Goschgoschlink   anjjj 
its  iniquitous  savages. 


'i 


360 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


III 


f! 


lii 


CHAPTER    XX. 

ON   THE  BEAVER  RIVER,  AND   FIRST  VISIT   TO   OHIO.— 1770, 1771. 

The  Christian  Indians  at  Fort  Pitt. — Sail  down  thoOiiio  and  ascend  the 
Beaver  Itiver. — A  wonuin's  town. — Languntoutcnunk,  or  Friedcns- 
stadt,  founded. — An  embassy  to  I'aekunkc — Kaska.~kunk  his  capital. — 
Glikkikan  beeomes  a  Christian. — Keproaches  of  I'ackankc. — Glik- 
kikan's  calm  reply. — Zeisberger  is  naturalized  among  tiie  Monseys. — 
The  Christian  Indians  and  tribute. — A  new  Mission  town  built  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  Beaver. — Jungmann  and  his  wife  become  Zeis- 
berger's  assistants. — Senseman  ri'turns  to  the  settlements. — An 
awakening. — Zeisberger  visits  Gekelemukpechunk,  the  capital  of  the 
Delawares. — Description  of  the  town. — First  Protestant  sermon  in  the 
State  of  Ohio. — The  doctrine  of  emetics. — A  crusade  against  Zeis- 
berger proclaimed  by  an  Indian  preacher. — Dedication  of  a  new 
Church  at  Languntoutoniink. 


I 


||'. 


'■h-  '  .ii'iiiiii  jl 


Gliding  down  the  Alleghany,  the  little  flotilla  reached 
Fort  Pitt  on  the  twentieth  of  April.  When  this  post 
still  bore  the  name  of  Duquesne,  and  French  priests 
were  as  active  as  French  soldiers,  it  had  often  been 

But  now,  .for  tjie  first 
of  Protestant  converts.  It 
was  a  novel  sight.  Traders  and  the  garrison  thronged 
the  camp,  and  beheld,  with  astonishment,  the  problem 
solved,  that  savages  can  be  changed  into  consistent 
Christians. 

Leaving  this  testimony  behind  them,  they  proceeded 
down  the  Ohio  to  the  confluence  of  the  Beaver.  This 
region,  which  now  teems  with  the  traffic  of  the  Ohio  and 
Pennsylvania  Railroad,  and  of   the  Beaver  and  Erie 


j' J*"  visited    by  baptized   Indians 
'     j^       [time,  appeared  a  company  c 


DAVW   ZEISDERGER. 


361 


'•« 


■r-. 


^'^. 


1  Day's  Perm.  Hist.  Collections  fixes  the  locality  at  Darlington,  Beaver 
County.     An  egregious  error ! 

2  Day  places  Kaskaskunk  in  Butler  County.    This  is  wrong,  as  Zeis- 
berger's  MS.  Journal  proves. 


;, 


\. 


Canal,  and  is  enlivened  by  a  clnster  of  four  towns',  was) 
then  a  deep  solitude.     Not  a  wigwam  even  of  a  native) 
could  be  seen,  only  the  ruins  of  8akunk,  an  Indian  vil-1 
lagc  abandoned  long  ago.     They  steered  ni)  the  Beaver,/      j, 
and  beyond  its  rapids  eanio  to  the  first  town  since  leav-    ^tT 
ing  the  fort.     It  was  inhabited — strange  to  say — by  a    »   ^    ^^ 
community  of  women,  all  single,  and  all  pledged  never-     '■'.'-^ 
to  marry  !    One  mile  above  this  place  was  a  broad  plain,   jr, 
on  the  east  side  of  tlie  river.     Here  an  encampment  of  * ' 
bark-huts  was  put  up.     It  must  have  been  in  Lawrence* 
County,  between  the  Shcnango  River  and  Slippery  Rock^ 
Creek.' 

The    first    business   undertaken  was   an   embassy  toi 
Packanke,  whose  capital.  New  Kaskaskunk,  stood  near,y 
or  perhaps  on  the  site  of  New  Castle,  at  the  junction  of^, 
the  Neshannock  Creek  with  the  Shenango.^    Old  Kas- 
kaskunk, the  former  capital,  was  at  the  confluence  of 
the  Shenango  and  Mahoning,  which  form  the  Beaver. 
Packanke,  a  venerable,  gray-haired  chi^^Jbut  active^s 
injhe  days  of  his  youthj  received  the  deputation  at  his 
ownj^oijse.     In  response  to  the  speeches  of  Abraham 
and  Zeisberger,  who  thanked  him  for  the  home  which 
he  had  granted  the  Christian  Indians,  and  made  known 
the  principles  of  their  faith,  he  said  that  they  were  wel- 
come in  his  country,  and  should  be  undisturbed  in  the 
worship  of  their  God.     A  great  feast  was  in  course  of 


X 


ft  .1 


362 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


■\. 


/ 


preparation,  and  Indians  were  coming  in  from   every 

side.     Nadvc  etiquette  required  that  the  deputies  should 

grace   tlic  occasion   by  their  presence;  but  after  Abra- 

I  ham's   exposition  of  their  views,  Packauke   made   no 

j^attompt  to  detain  them. 

The   encampment  w^as   now  changed  into  a  town,  to 
'  which  Zcisberger  gave  the  name  of  Languntouteniink 
uFrkdenssia^H,  or  City_of  Peace).     It  soon  began  to  at- 
tract the  Indians.     The  first  to  arrive  were  a  number 
!of  Mousey s  from  Goschgoschiink,  who   avowed   them- 
I selves   disgusted  with    its   wickedness,  and  joined   the 
';Mission.     They  were  followed  by  Gllikkikan,  from  Kas- 
Kaskunk.     Zcisberger  gave  him  a  cordial  reception,  but 
failed  not  to  tell  him  all  that  he  must  relinquish,  and 
the  persecutions  to  which  he  would  be  subjected.     Glik- 
ikikan,  however,  had  counted  the  cost,  and  Avas  deter- 
■'  mined  to  live  and  die  with    God's  people.     And  from 
I  that  day  until  he  fell  in  the  massacre  at  Gnadenhiitten, 
he  remained  true  to  his  resolution. 

Not  only  the  persecutions,  which  Zcisberger  had 
predicted,  followed  this  step,  but  it  produced  a  change 
m  the  sentiments  of  Packanko.  He  was  not  prepared 
to  lose  his  bravest  warrior  and  best  counselor.  He 
reproached  Glikkikan,  and  denounced  the  Mission. 
"And  have  you  gone  to  the  Christian  teachers  from 
our  very  council  ?"  he  said.  "  What  do  you  want  of 
them  ?  Do  you  h.ope  to  get  a  white  skin  ?  Not  so 
much  as  one  of  your  feet  will  turn  white  •  how  then  can 
your  whole  ^kin  be  changed?  Were  you  not  a  brave 
man  ?     Were   you  not  an   honorable  counselor  ?     Did 


ii 


DAVID   ZEISBERGER. 


363 


/ 


J 


^ 


J 


you  not  sit  at  my  side  in  this  house,  witli   a  blankets 

before   you   and    a   pile    of  wanipuni-belts    on  it,  and'  TA.: •••(><«,', w 

help  me  direct  the  affairs  of  o,\y  nation?      And   now 

you  despise  all  this.     You  think  you  have  found  some-f 

thing  better.     Wait!     In  good  time  you  will  discover 

how  miserably  you  have  been  deceived."     To  this  burst 

of  passion  Glikkikan  replied,  "  You  are  right;  I  have 

joined  the  Brethren,     Where  they  go,  I  will  go;  where 

they  lodge,  I  will  lodge.      Nothing  shall  separate  me 

from  them.     Their  people  shall  be  my  ])eopk',  and  their 

God  my  God,'"     Attending   church  at  Languntouten- ' 

link,  a  few  days  after  this,  he  was  so  moved  by  a  dis-! 

course  on  the  heinousness  of  sin  and  the  grace  of  the 

Saviour,  that  he  walked  through  the  village  back  to  his 

hut,  sobbing  aloud.      '•  A   haughty  war-captain  weeps 

publicly   in    the    presence   of   his    former    associates," 

writes    Zeisberger.      "This    is    marvelous!      Thus  the 

Saviour,   by   Ilis   Word,  breaks   the   hard   hearts   andc^ 

humbles  the  proud  minds  of  the  Indians." 

Meanwhile  Gendaskund  had  succeeded  in  conciliating 
Packanke,   who  resumed  his  friendly  relations  to   the 
Mission,     He  could  not  but  grant  the  force  of  the  argu- 
ment that  if  he  invited  preachers  of  the  Gospel  to  his[ 
country,  he  must  permit  them  to  prciich  :  and  if  they/ 
preached,  he  must  expect  the  Indians  to  accept  their) 
religion.     A b o u t  _ 1 1  io_ j.a m e  time,  moreover,  Zeisbergwj 
gaiiiedajK^ti()n    simong  Jhg   Monseys    which    coiij^; 
strained  the  old  chief  to  be  his  friend. 


1  Zcisborgor'.s  Journal.     MS.  B.  A. 


364 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


It  grew  out  of  a  suggestion,  made  by  Wangomen  at 
the  farewell-council  with  the   Goschgoschiink  clau,  to 
appoint  an  umpire  who  should  settle  all  differences  be- 
tween the  Christian  Monseys  and  the  rest.     Zeisberger 
rejected  the  plan,  not  understanding  its  object.     But 
when   this   had  been    subsequently  explained    to   him, 
,  he   sent   Geudaskund    and   Allemewi    to   consult   with 
Wangomen.     The  result  was  a  formal  offer,  on  the  part 
'  of  the  Monseys  of  Goschgoschunk,  to  adopt  Zeisberger 
\  into  their  tribe,  and  to  constitute  Woachelapuehk,  one 
j  of  their  headmen,  the  umpire.     This  offer  was  accepted, 
!  and  the  act  of  naturalization  consummated,  with  due 
'\  ceremony,  at  Kaskaskunk,  in  the  presence  of  Packanke 
I  and   his   council  (July    14).     Zeisberger   was    invested 
'  with  all  the  rights  and  privileges  of  a  Monsey.     Any 
complaint  which  he,  as  the  head  of  the  Mission,  might 
have  to  bring  against  such  Monseys  as  were  not  con- 
nected with  the  Church,  was  to  be  submitted  to  Woa- 
chelapuehk.   It  was  further  stipulated  that  the  covenant 
thus  made  should  be  published  at  Gekelemukpechlink 
and  Onondaga,  to  the  Shawanese  and  Wyandots,  as  well 
as  to  all  other  friendly  tribes. 

On  this  occasion,  too,  the  views  of  the  Christian  In- 
dians were  set  forth  with  regard  to  tribute.     The  only 
/tribute    of  which    the    aborigines    knew   consisted   in 
wampum  and  peltries.     The  former  was  used  for  the 
jmessages  which  were  constantly  passing  from  tribe  to 
\  tribe  ;  the  latter  for  the  pledges  interchanged  at  treaties. 
A  report  luid  spread  that  the  converts  refused  to  con- 
tribute their  share.     This  Wai.gomen  contradicted  in 


I 


'■M 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


365 


^.- 


their  uamo  and  by  their  authority.     They  were  willing 
to  pay  a  due  part,  except  for  the  purposes  of  war.     As 
an   evidence  of  their  sincerity  in  the   matter,  he  pre- 
sented to  Paskunke  a  string  of  live  fathoms  from  Lan-J     .; 
irnntouteniink.  ^y 

2jii^!l£l'S£i'.'3  Bi^P^^*^'^  among  the  Monseys  proYe8.J;Jie    ^y 
complete  triumph  which   he  had  gained  over  the  In-  >■ . 
dians    of    Goschjspschunk.      Thev   flocked    to   his  vil-     "*<  ' 
lage.     Their  preacher,  who  had  moved  all  the  powers 
of  heathenism  to  crush   the  Mission,  avoided  an  open 
disgrace  by  nationalizing  the  cause  which  a  majority 
of  his  clan  had  espoused. 

Toward  the  end  of  July,  Zeisberger  laid  out  a  new'~ 
and  larger  town,  with  a  church,  on  a  hill  on  the  west/ 
side  of  the  river,  opposite  the  tirst.     In  October,  John/ 
George  Juugmann^  and  his  wife  arrived  to  aid  him  in) 
his  work.     Senseman  returned  to  the  settlements. 

Sustained  by_his  new  assistant,  and  especially  by  Mrs.  Ct^ 
Jungmann,  who  spoke  the  I)elawarc_  tongue  ^fl^^e^_tJy'''f-^ii^  - 
and  exerciseda^ood  influence  ovciMiIto  IndiayijY^omen, 
Zeisberger  proclaimed  the  Gospel  with  power  and  great 
success.  An  awakening  took  place.  Not  a  few  be- 
lieved. Inquiry-meetings  were  held  every  evening  in 
Abraham's  new  house,  often  histing  until  midnight. 
The  very  children  were  impressed  and  tiilked  of  Jesus. 


'-'i. 


>, . 


1  John  G.  Juiigmiinii  was  Ixji'ii,  Api'il  I'.t,  IT'JO,  Jit  IIotlvonheim,'ni\ 
the  PiiliUinute.  In  17ol  he  iiniaigiatecl  wiili  liis  ratiior  to  America,  and  j 
settled  near  Oley,  in  Pennsylvania.  There  lie  became  acquainted  with/ 
the  Moravians,  whom  lie  joined,  to  the  great  indignation  of  his  family.  I 
In  17'15  ho  married  the  widow  of  Gottloh  Biittner,  and  served  the^ 
Church  in  various  capacities  at  Falicner's  Swamp,  Gnadonhiitton,  Pach- 
gatgoch,  Bethlehem,  and  Frlcdenshiittcn,  until  he  was  called  to  the 
Beaver  Iliver. 


366 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


/Oil.  Christmas  eve,  Glikkikaii  and  Gcndaskund  received 
(  baptism ;  the  former'  was  called  Isaac,  and  the  latter 
!  Jacob.     Otlier   converts  were  baptized   on   subsequent 
'Occasions.    Twenty-two  persons  had  followed  Zeisberger 
from  the  Alleghany ;  now  his  flock  numbered  seventy- 
three,  of  whom  thirty-six  had  conie  out  from  Gosch- 
gosehiink.      Ilis    pious     anticipations    were     realized. 
Having  sown  in  tears,  he  was  at  last  reaping  a  liarvest 
[with  joy  eveii  from  that  barren  ground. 

In  March  of  1771,  he   undertook   his   first   visit   to 
Gekel^eiaukjjechuuk-,    Anthojiy,    Glikkikan,   Jeremiah, 
I  Mingo  chief,  and  a  Delaware  Indian,  escorted  him, 
:The  whole  party  was  mounted.     They  reached  the  Tus- 
carawas River  in  six  days,  crossed  it  on  a  raft,  and  rode 
down  its  northern  bank  to  a  beautiful  plain,  rising  from 
the  lowlands  in  a  sudden   sweep,  wliero  Nugen's  Bridge 
now  spans  the  stream,  and  extending  to  the  hills  that 
/bound  the  valley.     Here,  amid  a  clearing  of  nearly  a 
^square  mile,  a  little  distance  east  of  the  present  New- 
coraerstown,  lay  Gekelemukpechiink,  the  capital  of  the 
Delawares  and  seat  of  their  Grand  Council.^     It  was  a 
large  and  flourishing  town  of  about  one  hundred  houses, 
mostly  built  of  logs.      On  the  south  side  of  the  river 
were   the   plantations.      Zeisberger  was    the   guest   of 
\  Netawatwes,  whoso   roomy  dwelling,  with  it^.  rljir-irlc- 
\roof  and  board-floors,  its  staircase  and  scone-.hiniM^3\ 
formed  one  of  those  Delaware  lodges  that  rivu fd  t'T- 
jhomesteads  of  the  settlers. 

•  frokolcmukpoclnink  occujiipd  tlio  out-lots  of  Newcomprsto-,  .t.  ■!; 
'Jxt'oi'd  Town-hip,  Tuscariiwas  Comity,  Ohio,  and  extended  I'ruiii  the 
field  next  above  the  school-house  to  Nv.2;pn's  Brid<'e. 


'•t 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


367 


At  noon  of  tlu;  t'ourtecntli  this  house  wiis  tilled  with^ 
Indians  eager  to  hear  the  teacher  whose  iUnie  had  pre-j 
ceded  liitn.     Thi;  thioiig  was  so  great  that  many  stood 
outside.     Nearly    a  dozen    white   men,    most   of  them 
traders,  were  present.     Netawatwes  having  introduced  ) 
him  to  the  assembly,  ZeitiUej:ger  preached  the  tirs_t  Prot-j 
estant  sermon  within   the   State  of  Ohio.     Ills  subject 
was  the  corruptness  of  human  nature  and  the  efficacy  of 
Christ's  atonement.     lie  took  particular  pains  to  expose 
tlie  absurdity  of  the  doctrine,  which  the  Indian  preachers  i 
were  at  that  time  universally  urging,  that  sin  must  be 
purged  out  of  the  body  by  vomiting,  and  which  was 
ruining  the  healtli  of  their  victims.      After  a  stay  of  ,^ 
some  days,  devoted  lo  missionary  labors,  he  returned  to 
Friedensstadt  in  time  for  the  Passion-week,  which  wasj 
distinguished  by  the  baptism  of  new  converts. 

He  had  scarcely  left  the  Delaware  capital,  wlien  one 
of  those  preachers  appeared,  whose  silly  falsehoods  he  .^ 
had  laid  bare,  and  proclaimed  a  crusade  against  him, 
denouncing  him  as  a  notorious  deceiver,  that  enslaved 
the  Indians,  and  threatening  the  most  terrible  judg- 
ments of  the  Great  Spirit  in  case  the  people  gave  him 
any  further  countenance.  This  produced  no  little  ex- 
citement in  the  town.  When  Glikkikan  came  there, 
sevaral  weeks  later,  lie  found  a  strong  party  opposed  to 
the  Gospel,  but  succeeded  by  his  earnest  appeals  in 
counteracting  its  influence. 

On  the  twentieth  of  June,  the  log  church  at  Langun- 
toutenlink  was  dedicated.  The  Mission  had  increased 
to  one  hundred  persons. 


•t*' 


"N,. 


\ 


i 


iiil 
ffl 


368 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER    XXL 

THE  SUSQUEHANNA  CONVERTS  SETTLE  IN  THE  WEST.— FIRST 
MISSIONARY  TOWN  IN  OHIO.— 1771.  1772. 


il'i 


A  deputation  from  the  General  Board. — Zoisborgor  visits  Bcthleliem. 
— Removal  of  llio  whole  Mi.^r>ion  to  the  AVest  determined  upon. — 
Zeisberger  luj.s  this  plan  before  the  Susquehanna  con\erts. — John 
Heckcwelder  appointed  his  assistant. — Zeisbcrger's  illness  at  Lan- 
caster.— Return  tn  Beaver  River  and  second  visit  to  Ohio. — Diseovers 
the  Big  Spring  in  the  Tusearawas  valley. — Ancient  fortifications 
in  its  neighborhood. — Tlie  Christian  Indians  receive  a  large  tract 
of  land  from  tlie  Dclawarfs. — Zeisberger  begins  tlie  first  missionary 
town  in  Ohio. — Description  of  tlic  Tuscarawas  valley  and  of  the 
Delaware  country  in  general. — Homes  of  the  Shawaneso  and  Wy- 
andots. — Exploration  of  tlie  West  by  Carver  and  Boone. — Progress 
and  population  of  Western  Colonies. — Description  of  the  site  of  the 
first  missionary  town. — The  Mission  House. — Arrival  of  the  Susque- 
hanna converts. — Their  journey  to  tlie  Wi'st. — A  missionary  confer- 
ence at  Friedensstadt. — The  first  church-bell  in  Ohio. — More  land 
ceded  to  the  Christian  Indian-. — Zeisbcrger's  illness  and  its  self- 
denying  cause. — A  second  missionary  conferenci;. — The  Statutes  and 
Rules  of  the  Christian  Indians. — Two  evangelists  of  the  Scotch  So- 
ciety for  propagating  tlie  Gospel  come  to  convert  the  Delawares. — 
Progress  of  the  Mission. — Descrifition  of  Schiinbrunn. — Founding  of 
Gnadenhiitten. 

A  DEPUTATION  from  the  General  Board  in  Germany, 
coni^isting  of  Christian  Gregor,*  John  Loretz,^  and  John 


1  Born.  1723,  in  Silesia;  a  member  of  the  Gi'ueral  Board  from  1764 
to  1801;  consecrated  a  bishop  in  1780;  died,  1801,  at  Berthelsdorf,  in 
Saxony.  He_was .  onq  of.  tho_  inost  distinguisJied  hymnologists  of  the 
Church,  and  ilii'  editor  of  her  Gerrnan  Hyjiiu  Book. 

3  Born  in  Switzerland,  a  polishi'd  man  of  the  world,  who  entered  the 
Moravian  ministry  after  his  conversion,  became  a  member  of  the  Gen- 


DAVID  ZFASBERGER. 


3G9 


r— FIRST 


Christian  Alexander  de  Sclnvcinitz,'  hud  arrived  at  Both- 
leheni  (November,  1770),  in  order  to  visit  the  Moravian  * 
Churches   of  America.      Schweinitz    remained    in  this 
country,  became  the  "Administrator"  of  the  estates  of; 
the  LInitas  Fratrum,  a  member  of  the  Mission  Board,/ 
and  a  warm  supporter  of  the  Avork  among  the  Indians.  J 

To  meet  these  deputies,  Zeisbergor  was  called  toj 
Bethlehem  (July,  1771),  where  a  missionary  conference'"^ 
was  held  which  led  to  important  results. 

While  he  was  preaching  to  the  natives  on  the  Alle- 
ghany and  Beaver  Rivers,  the  Mission  at  Friedenshiitten, 
under  the  faithful  ministry  of  Schmick,  had  prospered 
greatly.  In  1709  a  second  enterprise  had  been  begun 
by  John  Roth,  at  Schechschiquanunk,  so  that  there 
no\y  existed  three  towns  of  Christian  Indians,  two  on 
the  Susquehanna  and  one  on  the  Beaver.^  But,  as  has 
been  mentioned  in  another  conne^'tion,  the  land  granted 
by  the  Iroquois  Council   to  the   Husquehauna  converts 


crnl  Udurd  in  ITOl*,  iind  died   in  1708.     Hsjj;as_  tla3j(mli,<ir,«f  the  Batit 
Disaplina:. 

•  Son  of  John  Christian  do  Schwi mit/.,  and  born  on  liis  father's  cst*te 
of  Niodcr  Loulta.  in  Saxony,  October  17,  1740,  whoro  those;  Moravian 
emigranls  who  fmindcd  Hcrrnhiit  wen-  i-ntortaincd  oa  their  flight  from 
thoir  nativt,'  country.  His  father  having  joined  tlie  Moravian  Church, 
ho  was  educated  for  service  in  tliesame,  and  appointed  the  firi't  Admin- 
istrator of  her  American  estates,  wliich  important  trust  he  discharged 
for  twenty-.-even  years  (1770  to  1797).  In  1707  ho  was  ek'cled  to  the 
General  Board  in  Germany,  and  died  in  oflV'ci  in  1802,  after  having 
been  ordained  a  Senior  Civilis  the  year  before. 

-  The  Mission  at  rachgatgocli,  in  New  England,  was  sustained  untily 
1770,  amid  many  adverse  cireumstanccs.  In  tliat  year,  Thorp,  the  last) 
mi.'isionary,  was  witlidrawn,  and  Francis  TJoehler,  stationed  al  Sicheml 
as  a  preacher  among  the  white  settlers,  was  commissioned  occasionally 
to  visit  the  remnant  of  Indians. — Bethlehem  Diary  of  1770.     MS.  B.  A.\ 

24 


370 


LIFE  AXD   TIMES  OF 


V\m 


F  'liii 


now  formed  a  part  of  the  tract  sold  by  the  same  Council 
to  Pennsylvania  at  the  treaty  of  Fort  Stanwix.      Gov- 
ernor Penu  had,  indeed,  forbidden  the  surveyors  to  run 
a  line  within  live  miles  of  either  town;  nevertheless  the 
Misy  on  had  too  often   experienced  the  evils  resulting 
from  the  proximity  of  settlers  to  be  satisfied  with  such 
a  guarantee.     Moreover,  the   Yankee   and    Pennamito 
War  raged  in  the  valley  of  Wyoming;   and  the  disturh- 
ances  which  had  been   inaugurated  were  bcgii    'ing  to 
ati:ect  Fi'iedenshiitten,  whose  teachers  saw  that  it  was  no 
•lonffer   a   safe    retreat  for   the    Mission,     On    the   other 
ihand,   tlie  Grand    Council    at  (Tekelemuk])ecliiink  had 
•jUrgeJitly  invited  the  Christian  Indians  to  settle  among 
fthe  Delawares. 

In  consideration  of  all  this,  Zeisberger  was  persuaded 
that  the  unreclaimed  wilderness  of  the  present  State  of 
,Ohio   constituted   the   future   field   for   the    missionary 
^operations  of  the  Church,  and  advised  the  removal  of 
'the  whole  body  of  converts  to  that  country.     The  con- 
^ference  adopted  his  views,  and  he  was  commissioned  to 
lay  the  project  before  the  Indians  of  Friedenshiitten  and 
Schechschiquanunk.     At  the  same  time,  John  Ilecke- 
^vclder  was^ajjjjointed  his  assistant,  with  special  instruc- 
tions to  perfect  himself  in  the  Delaware  language. 

Taking  Philadelphia  on  his  way,  where  he  had  an 
interview  with  Vice-Governor  Hamilton,  he  came  to 
Friedenshiitten  in  the  beginning  of  September  and 
co.ivened  a  council  of  the  converts  from  both  stations. 
They  unanimously  accepted  the  offers  of  the  Delaware 
chiefs,  and  resolved  to  emigrate  to  the  West  in  spring. 


le  Council 
ix.  Gov- 
:ors  to  run 
thelcss  the 
I  resulting 
with  Much 
Pounumito 
lie  distuvh- 
jinitinu;  lo 

t  it   \V!IS  ll(» 

the  ollu'l' 
■hiiiik  hiul 
tie  among 

persuaded 
nt  State  of 
missionary 
removal  of 
The  con- 
issioned  to 
hiitten  and 
hn  Ilecke- 
;iai  iustruc- 
uage. 

he  had  an 
0  came  to 
niiher  and 
th  stations. 
3  Delaware 
in  spring. 


DA  VI n   Z  EISD EK G  FAl 


371 


Having  recovered  from  a  severe  and  dangerous  fever, 
with  which  ho  was  suddenly  seized  at  Lancaster  and 
which  brought  him  to  the  brink  of  the  grave,  Zeisberger 
hastened  back  to  the  Beaver  River. 

In  early  spring  (1T72),  accompanied   by  several  con-A 


verts,  one  of  whom  was    Glikkikan,  he   proceeded   to 
(h'keleniukpcchunk   1 
HnH(|nohanna  Indians. 

It  is  intercstlntf  to  traof  his  route.  lie  took  the  great 
trail  from  Fort  Pitt  to  Tuscarawas,  wliich  old  for.sakeii 
town  formed  one  of  the  Imidmarks  of  that  day.  Its  s'lfe 
was  the  Westerti  bank  of  the  Tuscarawas  Kivt-r/  inUUt'- 
diately  opposite  the  crossing-|iluce  of  the  trull,  on  the 
line  of  Stark  and  Tuscarawas  Counties.  Turning  to 
the  south,  he  followed  the  river,  and  passed  Ihrougli 
that  part  of  the  valley  which  is  now  enlivened  by 
Zoar,  Canal  Dover,  New  IMiiladebhia,  and  olhei' 
towns.  In  the  morning  of  the  sixteenth  of  Afarcli,  he 
discovered  a  large  spring,  in  the  midst  of  the  riclnsst 
bottom-lands,  above  which  lay  a  plateau  offering  an 
exc 

■perhaps  more  than  a  century  ago,  Indians  must  havt\jn'..i)/^j^^ 

/** 


xcellent  site  for  a  town..     The  natives  of  a  former  age,    7.      »        . 
ad  recognized  its  advantages.     "Long  ago,"  he  writesV    ],        "-'  ^-v 


lived  here,  who  fortified  themselves  against  the  attacks 
of  their  enemies.  The  ramparts  are  still  plainly  to  be 
seen.     We  found  three  forts  in  a  distance  of  a  couple  of 


'  In  jcisbcrgcr's  timn.  t.]i(^.Iuscariu\as  Rjycr  was  called  ^tlicMusliin- 
^um.  At  present  it  does  not  receive  this  name  \intil  after  its  junction 
witli  the  Wallionding,  at  Cosliocton.  I  use  the  names  in  tlieir  present 
acceptation. 


m 


872 


LIFE  A  SI)    TIMES  OF 


■'  '   ' 


-^ 


/^milos,     TliL'  wliole  town  must  luivo  been  fortified,  but 
'(its   site    is   now  eovored  with   a    tliick  wood.     No   one 
"f knows    to  wliat    nation    tliese   Indiana  belonged;    it   is 
plain,  however,  that  they  were  a  warlike  race."     Con- 
tinuing- Ilia  jt)urney  to  the  eonHuence  of  tlie  Gekeleniuk- 
peehlink  (Htill  Water  Creek),  he     lure  struck  a  direct 
trail,  wliich  did  noc  wind  along  tne  river,  to  the  Dela- 
ware capital.     His  negotiations  with  Netawatwea  were 
.eniinently  aatisl'actory.     The   chief  suggested  that  the 

flission  should  i»c  establisliod  at  the  "Big  Spring;"  and 
ladc  H  grant  of  all  the  land  from  the  mouth  of  the 
♦Tckelcninkpechlink  northward  to  Tuscarawas. 

Tluoe   weeks    later,  with    live    families    numbering 

twenty-eight  persons,  Zeisberger,  leaving  the  Mission  on 

jthe  Beaver  in  charge  of  Jungnuum,  went  to  build  the 

raj;;8t^Cln'istiau  town  in  Ohio_.      He  reached  the  spring 

iat  noon  of  the  third  of  May,  and  began  to  clear  the 

ground  on  the  following  morning. 

IJej}^is^  now  in  that  valley  wliich  w'as  to  be  the  scene 

(2niis^reatest works  and  severest  trials.     Blooming  like 

the  rose,  with  its  farms,  its  rich  meadows  and  gorgeous 

,;;]       orchards,  it  was  in   his  day,  although  a  wilderness,  no 

1    1^      less  a  land  of  plenty,  and  abounded  in  everything  that 

,     \:      makes  the  hunting-grounds  of  the  Indian  attractive.     It 

•  -  '-•"     extended  a  distance  of  nearly  eighty  miles,  inclosed  on 

both  sides  by  hills,  at  the  foot  of  which  lay  wide  plains 

terminating  abruptly  in  blufts,  or  sloping  gently  to  the 

lower  bottoms  through  which  the  river  flowed.     These 

plains,  that  now  form  the  fruitful  tields  of  "  the  second 

bottoms,''  as  they  are  called,  were  then  wooded  with  the 


rhiil 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


378 


e  tlie  scene 


oak  and  the  hickory,  the  ash,  the  chestnut,  aixl  ihe  maple, 
whicli  interlocked  their  brandies,  but  stood  compara- 
tively free  from  the  undergrowth  of  other  forests.  The 
river-bottoms  were  far  wilder.  Here  grew  walnut-trees' 
and  gigantic  sycamores,  whose  colossal  trunks  even 
now  astonish  the  traveler;  bushy  cedars,  luxuriant 
horse-chestnuts,  and  honey-locusts,  cased  in  tlicir  armor 
of  thorns.  Between  these  clustered  laurel  bushes,  with 
their  rich  tribute  of  flowers,  or  were  coiled  the  thick 
mazes  of  the  vine  from  which  more  fragrant  tcndiils 
twined  themselves  into  the  nearest  boughs;  while  here 
and  there  a  lofty  spruce-tree  lift<d  its  evergreen  crown 
high  above  the  groves.  These  forests  \vere  generous  to 
their  jihijdreiK^JThe^  gave  them  the  elm-bark  to  make 
canoeSy  the  rind  of  tlie  birch  for  medicine,  and  every 
variety  of  game  fojrthei.r.food.  The  soil  was  even  morci 
liberal.  It  produced  strawberries,  blackberries,  rasp- 
berries, gooseberries,  black  currants,  and  cranberries; 
nourished  the  plum,  the  cherry,  the  mulberry,  the 
papaw,  and  the  crab-tree;  and  yielded  wild  potatoes, 
pcasnips,  and  beans.  Nor  was  the  river  chary  of  its 
gifts,  but  teemed  with  fish  of  unusual  size  and  excellent 
flavor.* 


J  i  I 


1  It  may  lie  intcrpstina;  to  some  reaclers  to  hoar  what  Zr-ishorgor  says^     ■^- 
of  the  cliinatu  of  tlio  Tuscarawas  valley,  in  that  day:  "  The  summer  is  \ 
hot,  especially  in  July  and  August;  the  winter  very  mild.     The  snow  / 
is  seldom  deep  and  soon  melts.     Thrro  is  little  frost  before  .January.  /  ^jr- 
Throughout  the  winter  rain  falls  in  great  quantities,  and  there  are  fewi  •• 
bright  days.     Nevertheless  the  Muskingum  generally  freezes,  once  or/ 
even  twice,  in  the  course  of  this  season.     The  grass  of  the  river-bottomiV 
remains  green,  and   i.s  found  in  full   lu.vuriance  by  the  end  of   Marehi  x 

East  wind  seldom  continues  longer  than  for  half  a  day,  and  is  not  a  sign'; 


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Photographic 

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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)872-4503 


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374 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


111 


¥' 


This  valle}',  however,  did  not  embrace  the  whole  ter- 
ritory of  the  Dclawares.  Driven  from  the  Delaware  to 
the  Susquehanna,  from  the  Susquehanna  to  the  Alle- 
ghany, and  thence  still  I'arther  west,  they  had  at  last 
settled  upon  that  tract  which  formed  the  munificent  gift 
of  theAYyandots.  Its  boundary  line  began  at  the  Beaver 
River,  extended  to  the  Cuyahoga  and  along  Lake  Erie 
to  the  Sandusky,  up  the  Sandusky  to  the  Hocking, 
down  the  Hocking  to  the  Ohio,  and  up  that  river  to 
Shingas  Town,  including  nearly  one-half  of  the  present 
State  of  Ohio.'  The  chief  seats  of  the  Monsey^^were^n 
theBeavej^^J_ui_the^ 
iiiullJa^Qchtgfls. 

The  rest  ofjOluD  was  inhabited  by  Shawanese  and 
Wvandots.  Of  the  former,  who  were  divided  into  four 
tribes — the  Mequachake,  to  whom  be].o}igeu_the^hej:ed- 
.tUood ;  the  Chillicothe ;  the  Kiskapocok,  and 
^iliS-.i^iSl'**'^ — some  were  found  on  the  Muskingum,  but 
more  on  the  Scioto.^  A  part  of  the  latter,  with  their 
Half-King,  had  settled  at  the  mouth  of  the  Sandusky ; 
the  other  part  near  Detroit.  Thjg^se^  two  Jribes  were 
nearly    equal    in    point    of    population,    but    not    as 


of  rain.  This  is  broujf^ht  by  the  south  nnd  west  winds,  and  even  by  tho 
northwest  wind.  Rain  setting  in  with  a  west  wind  often  continues  for 
a  week." 

'  Boundiirios  given  by  Glikicikan,  in   1772,  to  John  Ettwein.     Ett- 
wein's  Journal.     MS.  B.  A. 

?  Tlieir    ciiicf    towns    on    the    Scioto   were    Piokuway,   Kischbuki, 

j^^[^cho'nchii^j^  and   Chelokraty,   where    Henry,   a   white  trader    and 

Jgunsmith,  brother  of  Judge  Uenry,  of  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  was 

"(domiciliated.     This^  trader's  wife,  when  aj^ild,Jiad  been  carried  oft' 

I  Oil i^ti  ve  b^  t he  SJi invimjsci,  and  j^iad  grown  up  nmqng  them. 


I 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


375 


numerous  as  the  JDela^\vares.^  At.  that  time  there  were 
no  settlements  within  the  present  State  of  Ohio, 
although  they  stretched  as  far  as  the  Virginia  shore 
of  the  Ohio  River.^ 

More  distant  regions  of  the  West  were  likewise 
becoming  known.  Jonathan  Carver,  of  ConnecticutJ*, 
had  explored  the  borders  of  Lake  Superior  and  the 
country  of  the  SiQUj;^  bcypftd  it,  bringing  back  glowing 


^ 


'^:^^ 


D 


accounts  of  the  copper  mines  of  the-  Northwest,  and  of 


the  great  River  Oregon,  which  he  reported  to  flow  into] 
the  Pacific ;  and  Daniel  Boone  had  traversed  Kentucky. 
The  British  settlements  had  everywhere  increased,  in 
spite  of  the  efforts  of  the  Home  Government  to  prevent 
their  growth.  Vincennes  counted  four  hundred  white 
persons,  and  Detroit  six  hundred.  The  Colonies  under 
Spanish  sway  were  still  more  flourishing.  Saint  Louis 
had  become  an  important  center  of  the  fur  trade  with 
the  Indians  on  the  Missouri;  New  Orleans  numbered 
thirty-one  hundred  and  ninety  souls,  among  whom  were 
twelve  hundred  and  twenty-five  slaves;  and  the  whole 
population  in  the  Mississippi  valley  amounted  to  about 
thirteen  thousand  five  hundred  persons.^ 

Zeisberger's  explorations  around  the  Big  Spring 
convinced  him  of  the  many  advantages  of  that  site. 
On  both  sides  of  the  river  were  bottom-lands  inter- 
spersed  with    small    lakes,   reaching,   on    the   western 


1  Authoritips  for  the  above  description  of  Ohio  nro :  Zeisberger's 
MS.  Hist,  of  the  Indiiin.s ;  his  Journnl  at  Schonbrnnn ;  and  Ettwcin's 
Journal,  MS.  B  A. 

«  D-ddridgu'.s  Notes,  P25.  '  Bancroft's  Hist.  V  S.,  vol.  vi. 


Hi. 


-  .4     ♦ 


"^X 


i  ^<y^ 


!^M 


1  u 

II 

1) 


'  li 


I'  i 


li! 


I  i 


up 
III 


^/ 


376  I'/i?'^  ^iV7>   T/ilfL'S  OF 

bank,  to  the  foot  of  a  precipitous  bluft*,  on  the  eastern 

to  a  declivity  not  quite  so  high.     Near  the  base  of  the 

latter  the   spring   gushed    in   a   copious   stream   from 

beneath  the  roots  of  a  cluster  of  lindens  and  elms,  and 

fed  a  lake  nearly  a  mile  long,  united  by  an  outlat  wi'^- 

the  Tuscarawas.      Both  the  lake  and  the  outlet  were 

navigable,  so  that  the  Indians  could  paddle  their  canoes 

from  the  river  to  the  very  foot  of  the  declivity.     On  its 

[top,  just  above  the  spring,  where  one  of  the  old  ram- 

\parts  had  been  discovered,  and  not  far  from  an  ancient 

tumulus,  was  the  site  of  the  town.^     While  engaged  in 

J-     ,/    'building   it,  many  Delawares  visited  the   spot.      Zeis- 

berger  was  so  eager  to  instruct  them  that  he  frequently 

■  laid  aside  his  axe,  sat  down  on  the  tree  he  had  felled, 

I  and  told  them  of  the  Redeemer  of  the  world.     On  the 

.  ninth  of  June,  the  Mission  House  was  completed ;  and 

\  within  its  rude  walls  the  converts  celebrated  the  Lord's 

"^Supper,  for  the  first  time,  on  the  twenty-seventh  of  the 

'same  month. 

Not  long  after  this,  Zeisberger  proceeded  to  Friedens- 
stadt  to  welcome  the  Susquehanna  converts. 

These  had  (June  11th)  set  out  in  two  bodies, — the 
one  by  land  under  John  Ettwein,  the  other  by  water 
under  Roth,  numbering  together  two  hundred  and 
four  persons.^    They  united  on  the  West  Branch,  and 


•  The  tovn  was  siluatP<l  on  tlio  prosont  (18C3)  farm  of  Rov.  P.  E. 
Jacobj',  two  inilus  gouthoast  of  Now  Philadelphia,  in  Goshon  Township, 
Tuscarawas  County.  The  road  from  Now  Philadelphia  to  Gnndcnhiitten 
passes  over  its  .lito.  The  "  Bo'iutiful  Spring  "  is  dried  up,  and  the  lake  a 
marsh  choked  with  water-lilies. 

*  The  Indians  were  mustered  on  the  1st  of  June.     One  hundred  and 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


377 


e  eastern 
so  of  t^ie 
am    from 
elms,  and 
utlot  wi''^ 
itlet  were 
ir  canoes 
On  its 
old  ram- 
ui  ancient 
ngaged  in 
3t.      Zeis- 
frequently 
lad  felled, 
.     On  the 
oted;  and 
the  Lord's 
iith  of  the 

Friedens- 

dies, — the 

by  water 

dred    and 

anch,  and 


Rev.  P.  E. 

1  Township, 
indenhUtten 
d  the  lake  a 

lundred  and 


began  the  passage  of  the  Alleghanies  in  company. 
Tormented  by  sandflies,  in  constant  danger  from  rattle- 
snakes, suft'ering  many  other  hardships,  they  toiled  for 
a  month  across  these  lofty  ridges,  and  then  lannched 
canoes  on  the  Alleghany  River,  down  which  tney 
passed  to  the  Ohio,  and  down  the  Ohio  to  the  Beaver, 
which  brought  them  to  Friedensstadt. 

A  conference   of   all    the    missionaries    and    native  \'*',, 
assistants,  held    at    this    station,   determined    to    send 
an   embassy  to   Gekelemukpechunk,  to    call   the   new 
town  Welhik-Tuppeek  (Schonbrunn  or^Beautiful  Spnug),j 
and  to  revise  the_  Delaware  hymns  and  litanies,  which 

work  was    intrusted   to  Zeisberger    and  a  committee : 

^- "" ' — ■ —   ■■  '  -  ■■-^■—  ■■_    ^ -j 

o^__Indian8.     On  their  way  to  the  capital,  the  deputies 
appointed    by    the    conference    put  up  (August  26th)  \ 
on  the   Mission  House   the  first  church-bell   used  inj 
Ohio. 
Netawatwes  received  them  with  evident  satisfaction, 


fifty-ono  camo  from  Friedonshiitten,  and  fifty-three  from  Schcchsehi- 
quanunk.  Amoiiff  the  ]si^cr  were  two_.sons  and  a  n,opliCK-„oLJiiog 
Tadpiisliund.  In  the  time  uf  the  Mission  at  Friudensiiiitton,  17G5  to 
1772,  one  hundred  and  cighty-siv.  persons  were  added  to  the  Church. 
The  only  equivalent  which  the  converts  received  for  their  imjjrcvcments, 
at  the  two  stations,  was  a  grant  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-live  pounds, 
Pennsylvania  currency,  from  the  Assembly  of  Pennsylvania,  to  which 
grant  some  benevolent  Quakers  added  one  hundred  dollars.  The  lists, 
in  Ettwein's  handwriting,  containing  the  names  of  the  families  who 
received  the  money,  and  the  amount  given  to  each,  are  still  extant  in 
the  B.  A.  After  the  Indians  were  domiciliated  in  the  West,  they 
wrote  a  btter  of  thanks  to  their  Quaker  triends.  It  is  dated  Schon- 
brunn, May  21,  1773,  and  addressed  to  "  Israel  Pcmberton,  John 
Reyncll,  James  Pench,  Anthony  Benezet,  John  Pcmberton,  Abel 
James,  Henry  Drinker,  and  the  rest  of  the  friends  in  Philadelphia." 
— Eiiweiii's  Journal.     MS.  B.  A. 


^  f 


il 


i'l  I 


m 


378 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


/ 


and  ceded  to  the  Mission  an  additional  tract  of  land, 
stretching  iVom  the  mouth  of  the  original  boundary- 
creek  southward  to  within  three  miles  of  Gekelemuk- 
pechiink^  Thus  a  large  part  of  the  Tuscarawas  valley 
passed  into  the  possession  of  the  Christian  Indians. 

The  state  of  Zeisberger's  health  at  this  time  caused 
Ettwein  much  anxiety.  He  was  prostrated,  and  yet  not 
J.,  by  any  apparent  illness.  Ettwein's  persisten'  questions 
*^  at  last  elicited  the  truth.  In  order  not  to  burden  the 
Mission  Fund,  Zeisberger  had  been  satisfied  with  in- 
sufficient supplies  and  the  coarsest  fare,  and  was  suf- 
fering from  the  eftects  of  his  abnegation.  Against 
such  sacrifices  Ettwein  protested,  beseeching  him  not 
to  jeopard  his  valuable  life,  and  assuring  him  that  the 
Board  would  willingly  provide  for  all  his  wants.^ 

At  a  second  missionary  conference,  held  at  Schon- 
brunn,  the  rules  of  the  Indian  Mission  were  revised. 
As  these  rules  beautifully  portray  the  religious  and 
domestic  character  of  the  converts,  we  here  reproduce 
them  in  full : 

^  Statutes  agreed  upon  by  the  Christian  Indians,  at  Langun- 
toutenunk  and  Welhik-Tuppeek,  in  the  month  of  August, 
1772. 

I.  We  will  know  no  otlior  God  but  the  one  only  true  God,  who  made 
us  and  all  oroaturo3,  and  came  into  this  world  in  order  to  save  sinners ; 
to  Him  alor  e  we  will  pray. 

II.  We  \till  rest  from  work  on  the  Lord's  Day,  and  attend  public 
ecrvicc. 


>  Memoranda  by  Ettwein.     MS.  B.  A. 
»  Ettwein'9  Journal.     MS.  B.  A. 
»  Original  copy.     MS.  B.  A. 


/ 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


379 


Til.  Wo  will  honor  father  and  mother,  and  when  they  grow  old  and 
needy  wo  will  do  for  them  what  wo  can. 

IV.  No  person  shall  get  leave  to  dwell  with  us  until  our  teachers 
have  given  their  consen'.  and  the  helporis  (native  assistants)  have  exam- 
ined him. 

v.  We  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  thieves,  murderers,  whoremon- 
gers, adulterers,  or  drunkards. 

VI.  We  will  not  take  part  in  dances,  sacrifices,  heathenish  festivals, 
or  games. 

VII.  We  will  use  no  tshajyiet,  or  witchcraft,  when  hunting. 

VIII.  AVo  renounce  and  ahhor  all  tricks,  lies,  and  deceits  of  Satan. 

IX.  We  will  be  obedient  to  our  teachers  and  to  the  heljicrs  who  are 
appointed  to  preserve  order  in  our  meetings  in  the  towns  and  fields. 

X.  We  will  not  be  idle,  nor  scold,  nor  best  one  another,  nor  tell  lies. 

XI.  Whoever  injures  the  property  of  b''  neighbor  shall  make  resti- 
tution. 

XII.  A  man  shall  have  but  one  wife — shall  love  her  and  provide  for 
her  and  his  children.  A  woman  shall  have  but  one  husband,  bo  obe- 
dient to  him,  care  for  her  children,  and  be  cleanly  in  all  things. 

XIII.  We  will  not  admit  rum  or  any  other  intoxicating  liquor  into 
our  towns.  If  strangers  or  traders  bring  intoxicating  liquor,  the  helpers 
shall  take  it  from  them  and  not  restore  it  until  the  owners  are  ready  to 
leave  the  place. 

XIV.  No  one  sh.tU  contract  debts  with  traders,  or  receive  goods  to 
sell  for  traders,  unless  the  helpers  give  their  consent. 

XV.  Whoever  goes  hunting,  or  on  a  journey,  sliall  inform  the  min- 
ister or  stewards. 

XVI.  Young  persons  shall  not  marry  without  the  consent  of  their 
parents  and  the  minister. 

XVII.  Whenever  the  stewards  or  helpers  appoint  a  time  to  make 
fences  or  to  perform  other  work  for  the  public  good,  wo  will  assist  and 
do  as  we  are  bid. 

XVIII.  Whenever  corn  is  needed  to  entertain  strangers,  or  sugar  for 
love-feasts,  we  will  freely  contribute  from  our  stores. 

XIX.  We  will  not  go  to  war,  and  will  not  buy  anything  of  warriors 
taken  in  war.' 

While  the  Mission  was  being  organized,  David 
McClurc  and  Levi  Frisbie,  educated  in  Dr.  Wheelock's 
Moore   Charity  School,  at  Lebanon,   Connecticut,  and 


'  This  last  statute  was  adopted  at  a  later  time,  during  the  Revolu- 
tionary War.  \ 


'.' 


\ 


380 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


I:, 


"si^t  out  by  the  "  Scotch  Society  for  propagating  the 
«  Gospel,"  arrived  to  preach  to  the  Delawares,  but  relin- 
quished this  project  when  they  found  them  provided 
,  with  teachers.  Ettwein,  with  that  blunt  honesty  so  char- 
acteristic of  him,  suggested  that  if  the  Scotch  Society 
desired  to  aid  in  converting  the  Delawares,  the  Moravian 
Mission  would  accept  any  gifts  it  might  choose  to  make. 
Having  attended  to  all  the  duties  that  brought  him 
to  the  West,  Ettwein  bade  his  brethren  farewell.  Tears 
of  gratitude  bedimmed  his  eyes  as  they  talked,  at  part- 
ing, of  what  God  had  wrought.  The  Mi'^sion  was  firmly 
established  in  its  new  field,  and  fair  prospects  were  open- 
ing on  every  side.  At  Friedensstadt,  Roth  carried  on 
the  work ;  at  Schbnbrunn,  which  now  rejoiced  in  a 
chapel  dedicated  September  19,  labored  Zeisborger, 
Jungmann,  and  Heckewelder;^  and  farther  down  the 
valley,  at  a  spot  where  stood  the  Delaware  hamlet  in 
which  King  Beaver  had  died,  admonishing  his  people 
to  accept  the  Gospel,^  and  whence  a  direct  trail  led  to 
the  Beaver  River,  Joshua,  a  native  assistant,  was  pre- 
paring to  build  for  the  Mohican  converts  a  third  settle- 


1  Schonbninn  had  two  streets  laid  on  in  tlic  form  of  a  T.  On  the 
transverse  street,  aVout  the  middle  of  it  and  opposite  the  main  street, 
whieh  ran  from  ea.^t  to  west,  and  was  both  long  and  broad,  stood  the 
church  ;  adjoininc;  it  on  the  right  hand,  Zeisberger's  house — on  the  left 
hand,  Jungmann's;  next  to  Zcisberger  lived  John  Papunhank;  next  to 
him,  Abraham;  next  to  Jungmann,  Jcremiali  ;  and  on  the  fifth  lot, 
Isaac  Glikkikan.  At  the  northwest  corner  of  the  main  street  was  the 
school-house.  The  bottom,  from  the  foot  of  the  bluff  to  the  river, 
was  converted  into  cornfields.  The  town  contained  more  than  sixty 
houses  of  squared  timbiT,  besides  huts  and  lodges. — Planof  Sclidnbrunn. 
MS.  B.  A. 

*  A  foot-note  by  Ettwein  in  one  of  Ileckewclder's  Journals.  MS.  B.  A. 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


381 


ling  the 
ut  relin- 
rovided 
so  char- 
Society 
Iforavian 
o  make, 
[ght  him 
Tears 
at  part- 
us firmly 
re  open- 
rried  on 
ed  in  a 
isborger, 
own  the 
aralet  in 
3  people 
11  led  to 
vas  pre- 
d  Stittle- 

.  On  the 
lih  street, 
stood  the 
in  the  Joft 
;;  next  to 
fifth  lot, 
t  Wiis  the 
he  river, 
lan  sixty 
onbrunn. 


mcnt,  afterward  called  Gnadenliutten.'  Of  this  entire 
Mission  Zeisbcrger  was  the  superintendent.  Ilis  town 
soon  became  the  bright  center  of  Christian  influence  in 
the  West. 

Away  ill  tho  forest,  how  fair  to  the  sight 
AVus  tho  eloar,  phicid  hike  ns  it  sparkled  in  light. 
And  kissed  with  iuw  nniriniir  the  green  shady  shore, 
"VVlieiice  a  triht^  had  departed,  whose  traces  it  bore; 
Where  thi-  lone  Indian  hasten'd,  and  wond'ring  hush'd 
His  a.vo  as  he  trod  o"er  the  nionlderiiig  dust ! 
How  bright  were  tin;  waters — how  cheerl'ul  tlie  song 
"Whieh  the  wood-bird  was  chirping  all  tlie  day  long; 
And  how  welcome!  tho  refuge  the^e  solitudes  gave 
To  the  i)ilgrinis  who  toiled  over  niount'dn  and  wave  I 
Here  they  rested — hero  gush'd  forth  salvation  to  bring, 
The  fount  of  the  Cross,  by  the  "  Beautiful  Spring." 


•  Joshua  arrived  from  Friedensstudt,  with  a  party  of  Mohicans,  on  the 
18th  of  September,  and  on  tho  24th  laid  out  a  town  on  the  west  side  of 
the  river,  four  miles  above  Schonbrunn,  near  Canal  Dover.      It  was 
called  the  Upper  Town.     But,  as  Netawatwes  insisted  that  this  colony 
should  go  to  the  j)laeo  agreed  upon  between  him  and  Zeisbcrger,  Joshua 
began  to  build  Gnadoidiutten  (October  9th),  the  exact  site  of  whieh  is 
still  preserved,  it  being  tho  inclosed  lot  of  ground  at  the  southeastern 
extremity  of  tho  present  Gnadenhiitten,  in  Clay  Township,  Tuscarawas 
County.      It  received  its  nam^  in  memory  of  Gnadenhiitten  on  the 
Lehigh,  a  settlement  which  was  revived  (1770)  by  a  number  of  Mora-\ 
vians.     This  place  is  now  known  as  Weissport,  so  called  after  Jacob  ^ 
Weiss,  of  Philadelphia,  one  of  the?  settlers,  tho  brother  of  Lewis  WeissJ 
the  attorney  of  the  3Ioravians. 


tf  S.  B.  A. 


382 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER   XXI I. 


ZEISBERGEirS  VISITS  TO   THE  SIIAWANESE.     PROGRESS   OP  THE 
MISSION  IN  OHIO.— T772-1774. 

Zcisberger  visits  the  Shawancso  and  projects  a  Jlission  among  thorn. — 
The  first  religious  si-rvico  at  Gnadenhiitten. — Much  spiritual  life 
among  the  converts. — Instances  of  their  faith  and  jo\'. — Opposition  to 
the  Gospel. — Echpalawchund  a  convert. — The  Dehiwares  attempt  a 
moral  reformation  as  a  substitute  for  the  Gospel. — The  Mission  at 
Friedcnsstadtrelinqui.^hed. — Interview  between  the  Delaware  Council 
and  Christian  deputies. — The  perple.\ity  of  Natawatwes  with  regard 
to  the  dififerent  creeds  of  Christianit}^ — John  Jacob  Schmick  joins  the 
3Iission. — The  first  white  child  born  in  Ohio. — Death  of  Anthony,  the 
national  assistant. — Zcisberger 's  second  and  last  visit  to  the  Shawanese. 
— His  meeting  with  White  Eyes. — The  opposition  of  the  Shawanese 
chief  to  the  Gospel. — His  bitter  philippic  against  the  white  race. — 
The  project  of  a  Shawanese  Mission  relinquished. — New  church- 
edifices  at  Schonbrunn  and  Gnadenhiitten. — The  work  prospers. — 
Baptism  of  Echpalawchund. — Newalliko,  and  the  first  Cherokee  con- 
vert.— Zcisberger  offers  to  explore  the  Cherokee  country. — Translates 
the  Easter  Morning  Litany  into  Delaware. — Its  first  use  at  Schon- 
brunn. 


jSio  sooner  bad  the  Delaware  Mission  gained  a  foot- 
hold in  Ohio  than  Zeisbcrger  looked  around,  with  faith 
and  hope,  to  find  other  nations  to  which  the  Gospel 
might  be  brought.  The  Shawanese  of  the  Muskingum, 
whom  the  Church  had  attempted  to  convert  in  x'ennsyl- 
vania,  attracted  his  notice.  At  the  first  of  their  villages 
he  found  a  son  of  his  old  friend  Paxnous;  and,  in  his 
company,  proceeded    to  Waketameki,  their    principal 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


383 


S   OP  THE 


town,  on  11  creek  of  the  same  name,  near  its  continence 
with  the  Mnskingum.'     It  was  known  among  traders  as^ 
the  "Vomit  Town,"  because  its  inhabitants  liad  been,  for  j» 
years,  tlie  miserable  dupes  of  that  doctrine  which  raadej 
emetics  the  means  of  salvation. 

Zeisberger  was  well   received.     The  native  preacher, 
who  ignorantly  proclaimed  this  abomination,  manifested 
a  sincere  desire  to  learn  the  truth,  and  was  the  first  to  [ 
proposv-^  that  a  missionary  should  live  among  his  country-l 
men.     The  whole  clan  enthusiastically  adopted  this  sug-j 
gestion,  to  the  great  joy  of  Zeisberger.      These  Shawa-l 
nese  were  warlike  and  perfidious ;  ever  ready  to  instigate' 
or  begin  hostilities  against  the  Colonies.     If  the}'  could 
be   brought   under  the  sway  of  the  Christian  religion, 
one   of  the  worst    elements  would   be  removed  from 
Western  border-life. 

On  the  road  back  to  Schcinbrunn,  Zeisberger  visited 
Gnadenhiitten,  where  several  log-houses  had  been 
finished,  in  one  of  which  he  held  the  first  public  ser- 
vice at  that  settlement  (October  17).  Like  his  own 
town,  it  flourished  greatly.  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
God  came  upon  both  places.  The  hearts  of  the  con- 
verts and  of  many  heathens  were  moved ;  and,  es- 
pecially at  Christmas,  grace  was  given  in  rich  measure. 
Of  these  experiences,  and  of  the  manner  in  which  the 
Indians  expressed  themselves  upon  the  subject  of  reli- 
gion, the  following  instances  are  on  record : 


I 


1  Waketameki  was  situated  near  Dresden,  a  town  on  the  Muskingum, 
just  below  the  mouth  of  Waketameki  Creek,  in  Jefferson  Township, 
Muskingum  County,  Ohio 


" 


WW7W. 


if!; 


:  I 


....'.  ^..  ^^u 


384 


/ 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


Convoraiiig  with  a  hciithcMi  Doltiware,  one  of  the 
assistants  said,  "Why  shall  wo  uot  believe?  The  Word 
preaehed  to  us  shows  its  power  in  our  conversion." 
"Yes,"  added  another,  "as  soon  as  I  sought  tlie  Saviour 
with  my  whole  lieart  I  found  Ilini,  and  what  I  asked 
for  I  received,  and  now  I  am  daily  growing  liappier,  so 
that  ray  heart  sometimes  burns  with  love  like  a  flaming 
fire."  "Ah,"  exclaimed  a  third,  "lieretofore  I  only 
heard,  but  now  I  believe,  that  my  Creator  became  a  man 
and  shed  llis  precious  blood  for  me,  which  cleanses  me 
from  all  sin."  An  unbaptizcd  convert  said,  "  When 
I  longed  for  comfort  and  stood  thinking  of  Jesus,  it 
seemed  to  me  that  I  could  see  Ilim  on  the  Cross — then 
I  found  peace."  "  I  feel,"  joyfully  professed  Michael, 
"  as  though  the  Saviour  had  taken  up  His  abode  in  my 
heart.  It  is  a  blessed  feeling!  I  can  only  weep  and 
give  myself  wholly  to  Him."  "And  I,"  said  Eve,  "have 
never  spent  such  a  Christmas.  I  have  obtained  a  deep 
insight  into  the  mystery  of  the  incarnation  of  God  my 
Saviour."  "As  for  me,"  remarked  old  Abraham,  "my 
soul  is  full  of  joy.  Oh,  how  good  to  give  one's  self  to 
the  Saviour !" 

This  religious  interest  spread  to  the  Delaware  capital. 
Echpalawehund,  a  noted  and  influential  chief,  who  had 
spent  Christmas  at  Schonbri'un  and  carried  away  im- 
pressions which  he  could  not  shake  olF,  determined  to 
become  a  Christian.  This  caused  a  great  sensation. 
The  Delawares  were  not  willing  to  lose  so  distinguished 
a  man,  and,  in  the  first  burst  of  their  anger,  talked 
of  expelling  Zeisberger  and  his  coadjutors  from  their 


ill 


DAVID   ZEISUEllOER. 


385 


territory.     Calmer  reflection,  however,  showed  them  the 
folly  of  such  an  attempt.     The  Christiana  constituted 
too  powerful  a  party.     Hence  they  adopted  a  dift'erent 
policy.     Having  called  a  council  to  devise  means  that , 
would  prevent  the  further  spread  of  Christianity,  they 
fell  upon  the  idea  of  a  reformation,  not  through  tho  i 
agency  of  the  white  teachers,  but  in  the  power  of  their ' 
own   united  will.     Drunkenness,  games,  and  whatever 
tended  to  demoralize  were  prohibited ;  traders  bringing 
intoxicating  drink,  or  teaching  the  Indians  to  play  cards, 
were  to  be  banished ;  ardent  spirits,  wherever  found,; 
were  to  be  destroyed.     Six  overseers  of  mora]^  werei 
appointed  to  enforce  the  new  order  of  things,  which  was  j 
actually  inaugurated  by  staving  ten  kegs  of  rum.     Thu8  i 
they  hoped  to  lead  lives  as  correct  as  those   of  the  . 
Christians ;  and  thus  would  neither  chief,  nor  councilor, 
nor  captain  have  an  excuse  to  leave  the  town  and  build  '■. 
his  lodge  at  Schonbrunn  or  Gnadenhiitten.  j 

But  Echpalawehund  assured  his  countrymen  that 
such  efforts  would  be  in  vain,  and  that  faith  in  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  must  be  the  beginning  of  a  genuine 
reformation-  He  was  right.  Their  good  intentions, 
like  the  fire  of  tl  e  council  at  which  they  had  been 
adopted,  flared  for  a  little  while,  and  then  lay  a  heap 
of  dead  embers. 

In  the  midst  of  these  agitations,  Shawanese  from 
Waketameki  arrived,  on  their  way  to  Zeisberger,  to 
renew  their  request  for  a  teacher.  Into  their  ears 
the  excited  Delawares  poured  the  venom  of  their 
anger;  and  said  so  many  evil  things  of  the  mission- 

25 


-^    c 


r. 


x. 


■*.  • 


K 


386 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


aries  that  the  Shawanesc  grew  distrustful  and  did  not 
deliver  their  message.  The  instigacor  of  this  opposition 
to  the  Christian  party  was  John  Killbuck,  a  son  of 
Netawatwes.^ 

The  Mission  at  Fricdonsstadt  had,  meanwhile,  been 
contending  with  serious  difficulties.  Owing  to  the 
proximity  of  Kaskaskunk,  intoxicated  Indians  overran 
the  town  and  disregarded  its  municipal  regulations. 
Under  these  circumstances,  Zeisberger  called  the  con- 
verts to  the  Tuscarawas  valley.  The  "  City  of  Peace" 
was  deserted  (spring,  1773) ;  its  sanctuary  laid  even 
with  the  ground;''  and  its  inhabitants  were  trans- 
ferred in  part  to  Gnadenhutten  and  in  part  to  Schon- 
|brunn.' 

In  the  following  June,  a  deputation  of  Christian 
Indians,  with  Glikkikan  for  their  speaker,  met  the 
Council  of  Gekelcmukpechunk,  and  once  more  made 


1  Killbuck  was  not  ar.  enemy  of  the  Gospel  itself;  or,  rather,  he  was 
willing  to  accept  it  outwardly  for  the  sake  of  the  advantages  it  would 
bring   his  nation.     His  opposition  to  the  Christian  party  originated  in 
his  dissatisfaction  with  the  Jloravians,  who,  he  said,  were  unable  to 
protect  the  Indians  in  times  of  war,  and,  by  a  perversaness  character- 
istic of  his  race,  adduced   the   Paxton   Insurrection  as  an   instance, 
/  ttlthough  it  proved  just  the  reverse. — Jones's  Journai,  Phila.,  1865. 
J      2  This  was  dune  whenever  the  Christian  Indians  a'^andoned  a  town, 
i  80  as  to  prevent  their  chapels  from  being  desecrated  by  the  heathens. 
•In    the    course    of   the    spring,   the    Kcv.    David    Jones,   Baptist 
minister  at  Freehold,  N.  J.,  visited  the  Dcla^-arcs  with  the  intention 
of  bringing  them  the  Gospel,  and  spent  some  time  at  tue  capital.     He 
came  likewise  to  Schiinbrunn,  where  ho  preached.     By  request  of  the 
Council,  ho  wrote  a  letter  to  Governor  Pcnn,  informing  him  of  the 
reformation  which  the  Dclawares  had  inaugurated,  especially  in  regard 
to  the  sale  of  rum. — Jotics's  Journal  of  his  Visits  to  some  Nations  of 
Jr,jrfia»is^^  Eej)rintcd,  Phila.,  1865. 


DAVID  ZEISBEROER. 


387 


""% 


^ 
^^^ 


known  the  principles  of  their  faith  and  the  regulations 
of  their  communities.     Glikkikan  spoke  not  as  a  sup-^ 
pliant,  but  with  authority  and  great  boldness.     And) 
although  the   enemies  of  the  Gospel  did  not  believg^' 
they  were  silenced  for  a  season. 

Netawatwes,  about  this  time,  was  in  much  Tfoume^ 
both  with  rearard  to  national  affairs  and  the  Christia 
religion.      Anxious    to    promote    the    welfare    of    his' 
people,   and   half  convinced   that  their  conversion    to 
Christianity  would  prove  the  means,  he  Avas,  neverthe- 
less, weak-minded,  and  halted   between  two  opinions. 
The  ditferences  prevailing  among  Christians  augmented 
his  vacillation.     He  could  not  understand  that  God'sjv^ ^ 
children  were  not  of  one  name,  faith,  and  practice.     He 
could  not  believe  that  they  were  all  right..    He  could 
not  decide  who  was  wrong.    The  Roman  Catholics  insti- 
tuted forms  and  ceremonies;  their  rosaries  and  cruci- 
fixes seemed  to  him  not  different  from  the  manitous. 
of  his  own  nation.     The  Moravians  taught  the  necessity 
of  personal  faith  and  baptism,  preaching  Christ  Jesus)* 
and  Him  crucified.     The  Quakers  repudiated  baptism, 
and  gloried  in  the  beauty  of  morality.      The  Episco-j 
palians  asserted  that  theirs  was  the  true  church  and 
the  apostolic  ministry.     Amid  these  conflicting  views, 
Netawatwes,  at  last,  devised  a'  way  of  arriving  at  the 
truth.      He  ^wuld  go _Jo.. England,  anc^    ^^]s^^li._th^ 
King  as  to  the  syst^gMgJt  religion  which  tiie  Delawai^s 
ouffht  to  adopt. 

It  was  not  a  new  idea.     Months  before  this  he  had 
sent  a  message  to  Governor  Penn,  saying,  "I  am  ready 


"4, 


V 


V 


388 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


ll 


to  go  over  the  Great  "Waters  to  see  that  great  King. 
Brother  Governor  and  fi  Sends,  I  desire  you  to  prepare 
a  ship  for  me  next  spring."^  And  now  that  several 
Quakers  visited  liira,  he  pertinaciously  claimed  their 
aid  in  eflecting  this  purpose.    It  was,  however,  never 

[carried  out.      The  old    chief   remained    in    his    rude 

■Icouncil-house   and  did    not    see    the   splendor  of   St. 

Pames. 

In  August  two  more  laborers  entered  the  field — John 

(^ Jacob  Schmick  and  hif^  wife — so  that  the  corps  of 
missionaries    now    embraced    eight    persons,    namely, 

'  ZeisbergfiJN  Ilecke,welder^  -J?2tbj...^aJl£L  J^t£a*„S.Qilji^t 
Schonbrunn  ;  Schmickj^^ra.  Schmickj^  Jujagmaiinj^jiB^ 
Mrs.  Jungmann,  jtt  Gn^dmihujtifin. 

A  few  weeks  before  the  arrival  of  Schmick,  there 
had  been  born,  in  the  midst  of  this  Mission-family,  on 
the  fourth  of  July,  1773,  at  GnadenhUtten,  the  first 
Tyhite  child  in  the  present  State  qf^hio.     Mrs.  Maria 


1  Agnes    Roth    was    his    mother,   and    he  received    in 

baptism,  administered  by  Zeisberger,  on  the  fifth  of 
July,  the  name  of  John  Lewis  Roth.^ 

Simultaneously   with    the   accession  of  so  active   a 


1  Penn.  Col.  Eeeords,  r.  62,  etc. 

«  This  interesting  fact  is  established  by  the  official  diary  of  Gnaden- 
hUtten (MS.  B.  A.),  which  says,  "July  4th,  1773.  To-day  God  gave 
Brother  and  Sister  Both  a  young  son.  He  was  baptized  into  the  death 
of  Jesus,  and  named  John  Lewis,  on  the  5th  inst.,  by  Brother  David 
Zeisberger,  who,  together  with  Brother  Jungmann  and  his  wife,  came 
here  this  morning."  Of  the  parents  of  this  child  we  know  the  fol- 
lowing: 

LHis  father,  John  Roth,  was  born  at  Sarmund,  a  village  in  the  Mark 
Brandenburg,  Prussia,  February  3,  1726,  and  was  the  oldest  son  of 


DAVID  ZEISBERQER. 


889 


teacher   as    Schmick,    the    Mission   lost    Anthony,    its\ 
most  valued  native  assistant.     "With  lips  eloquent  even 
in  death,  he  exhorted  his  countrymen  to  remain  stead- 
fast in  the  faith,  and  delivered  a  last  testimony  as  bright 
as  had  been  the  daily  testimony  of  his  life.     lie  passed  f 
away  in  the  morning  watches  of  the  fifth  of  September,  1 
a  patriarch  of  seventy-six  years.     Zeisberger  mourned] 
for  him  as  for  a  brother. 

In  the  same  mouth,  accompanied  by  Isaac  Glikkikan 
and  another  convert  named  "William,  he  paid  a  second 
visit  to  the  Shawanese,  hoping  to  renew  the  project  of  a 
work  among  them.  At  Gekelemukpechiink  he  found 
not  onl^^_^uron^3n^,J)t|aAv^  Ihrough  whigni..J;lie_,']['ug- 


John  and  Anna  Maria  Roth.  He  was  educated  in  the  Catholic 
Church,  and  learned  the  trade  of  a  locksmith.  In  1748,  he  joined 
the  Moravian  Church  at  Nousalz,  in  Prussia,  whence  he  emigrated  to 
America,  arriving  at  Bethlehem,  where  he  settled,  in  July,  1756.  In 
1759,  ho  entered  the  service  of  the  Indian  Mission. 

His  mother  was  Maria  Agnes  Pfingstag,  a  daughter  of  John  Michael 
and  Rosina  Pfingstag,  m.  n.  Ketsohl,  and  was  born  at  Wirscho,  in  the 
Kingdom  of  Wiirtembcrg,  on  the  4th  of  April,  1735.  When  she  was 
two  years  of  ago  her  parents  emigrated  with  her  to  America  (1737). 
She  married  John  Roth  at  Bethlehem,  Pa.,  on  the  16th  of  August,  1770. 
They  took  up  their  abode  at  Schechschiquanunk,  the  Mission-^tation  on 
the  Susquehanna,  where  their  oldest  child,  John  Roth,  was  born, 
August  4th,  1771.  On  the  11th  of  June,  1772,  they  loft  that  station, 
accompanied  the  Christian  Indians  to  the  West,  and  settled  at  Friedens- 
studt,  Pa.,  where  Roth  became  the  resident  missionary.  This  station 
having  boon  relinquished,  they  proceeded  to  Gnadenhiittcn,  Ohio, 
arriving  on  the  24th  of  April,  1773.  Here  their  second  son,  John 
Lewis,  was  born.  About  the  middle  of  August,  of  the  same  year, 
they  removed  to  Schcinbrunn.  In  the  documents  relating  to  the 
Indian  Mission  Roth  is  called  Rothe ;  but  in  that  church  register  at 
Bethlehem  which  records  his  marriage,  the  name  is  written  Roth. 
That  this  latter  was  his  true  name  becomes  clear  from  his  own  sig- 
natures to  letters  and  his  official  signature  to  records  in  the  register 
of  the  church  at  York,  where  he  died. 


PfPT 


f 


lil||!| 

i|l!:i    !||ii 


I 

mm 

m 


mmii 


Mm 


!ini!{i:l 


y 


390 


L/iJ'£;  AND   TIMES  OF 


'carawas  Mission  might  be  made  known  on  the  shores 
|of  Lake  Erie,  and  in  the  groat  Northwest,  but  also  that 
tuative  who  was  destined  to  become  its  most  eriinent 
'supporter  at  homo. 

Among    the    councilors    of    Netawatvves,    no    one 
enjoyed    a    more    honorable    name,   and    exercised    a 
more   commanding    influence,   than   Kocjucthagachton, 
/or  White   Eyes,^  a  Miami   chief,  and  thciii- ^t  ^  w'ar- 
oaptain    of  that  tribe.      His   achievementshad^^giycn 
*.glory  to  the  Delaware  nation^  and,  wherever  the  fire§ 
"of  their  lodges  burned,  his  fame  was  rehearsedl.     When 
[Zeisberger  first  came  to  the  valley,  he  was  absent  on 
a  long  journey  down  the  Ohio  and  the  Mississippi  to 
New  Orleans,  whence  he  returned  by  sea,  landing  at 
New  York,  and  traveling  from  there,  by  way  of  Phila- 
delphia, back  to  his  kindred  and  liis  people.     This 
tour  enlarged  his  views.     The  benefits  of  civilization, 
and  the  contr.ast  between  the  state  of  its  children  and 
that  of  the   aborigines,  made   a  profound   impression 
upon  his  mind.      He   pondered  the   subject   long  and 
earnestly,    until   it  became   the   all-absorbing   purpose 
of  his  life  to  reclaim  the  Indian  from  barbarism  and 
elevate  him  to  an  equality  with  the  white  man.     That 
Zeisbergyr  and  Glikkikan  would  prove  influential  co- 
adjutors in  carrying  out  this  project  he  was  not  slow  to 
recognize,  more  particularly  as  the  latter  had  been,  for 
man}'  years,  his  most  intimate  friend,  to  whom  he  could 
freely  unfold  his  plans.     He  gave  them  both  a  cordial 


So  called  from  the  peculiar  whiteness  of  his  eyeballs. 


DAVID  ZEISBERQER. 


391 


''^. 


< 


welcome,   took    them    to    bis    own    towu,   and   enter- 
tained them  for  the  night.*     Zeiaberger  improved  the'^ 
opportunity  to  instruct  him  in  the  Gospel.     They  sat' 
together  on  a  little  hillock,  near  bis  lodge,  talking  of, 
Jesus. 

It  was  Zeisberger's  purpose  to  visit  the  Sbawaneso 
of  the  lower  towns,  but  he  found  their  chief  at  Wake- 
tameki.  His  name  was  Giescbenatsi,  a  fierce  savage' 
and  bitter  enemy  of  the  white  race.  Among  the 
settlers  he  was  known  us  the  "  Hard  Man."  To 
gain  him  for  the  Gospel  was  worth  every  effort. 
Zeisberger  approached  him  with  its  glorious  truths. 
At  first  he  listened  patiently,  but,  by-and-by,  his  true] 
character  burst  out. 

"  I  suppose,"  he  said,  "  you  come  to  speak  '  good 
words'  to  the  Shawanese.  Go,  and  see  what  you  can 
do.  Perhaps  they  will  hear  you.  Perhaps  you  will 
succeed  better  than  I,  when  I  attempt  to  exert  my 
authority. 

"  The  whites  tell  us  of  their  enlightened  understanct?^    . 
ing,  and  the  wisdom  they  have  from  Heaven;   at  thei 
same  time,  they  cheat  us  to  their  hearts'  content.     For 
we  are  as  fools  in  their  eyes,  and  they  say  among  them-i';?         "^ 
selves,   '  The    Indians    know   nothing  !      The  Indians  \  *'^.  \      »^ 
understand    nothing !'      Because    they    are     cunning 
enough  to  detect  the  weak  points  of  our  character, 
they  think  they  can  lead  us  as  they  will,  and  deceive 


1  "VV^iito  Eyes'  Town  was  situated  on  the  Tuscarawas,  six  miles  belcpw 
Gekelemukpechiink,  near  White  Eyes'  Plains,  n  Oxford  Township, 
Coshocton  County. 


t 


IJ:!! 


;  I 


^i; 


^ 


392 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


I  us  as  they  please,  even  while  they  pretend  to  seek  our 

i  good.      See  them  coming  into   our  towns  with  their 

!  rum  !      See   them    oflbring   it  to   us   with  persuasive 

kindness  !      Hear   them   cry,   '  Drink  !   drink  !'      And 

when  we  have  drunk,  and  act  like  the  crazed,  behold 

these  good  whites,  these  men  of  a  benevolent  race, 

standing  by,  pointing  at  us  with  their  fingers,  laughing 

among  themselves,  and  saying,  '  Oh,  what  fools !  what 

I  great  fools  the  Shawaaese  are!'     But  who  make  them 

I  fools  ?     Who  are  the  cause  of  their  madness  ?" 

Pausing  for  a  moment  and  pointing  to  Zeisberger,  he 
proceeded  in  a  furious  tone : 

"  This  man  and  the  like  of  him  !  They  ire  the  cause 
of  our  being  fools  and  of  our  madness.  But  they  always 
tell  us  'good  w^ords;'  they  always  Move'  us  and  want 
*  to  save  our  souls.'  *  Behold,'  they  say,  *  thus  and  so 
has  God  taught  us ;  He  has  given  us  knowledge ;  we 
:  are  wiser  than  you ;  we  must  instruct  you.'  Oh,  cer- 
tainly, they  are  wiser  than  we  ! — wiser  in  teaching  men 
to  get  drunk;  wiser  in  overreaching  men;  wiser  in  swin- 
dling men  of  their  laud ;  wiser  in  defrauding  them  of 
I  all  they  possess  !" 

The  excited  chief  poured  forth  this  tirade  until  after 
midnight,  when  sheer  exhaustion  forced  him  to  stop. 
Neither  Zeijberger  nor  Glikkikan  answered  him  a  word. 
The  next  morning,  however,  they  sent  for  him,  and  in  a 
series  of  speeches  replied  to  his  invectives,  explaining 
the  character  of  their  missionary  work,  challenging  him, 

I  or  any  other  Indian,  to  establish  a  single  instance  of 
fraud  on  the  part  of  a  white  teacher,  setting  forth  the 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


393 


Jk  our 
their 
uasive 
And 
)ehold 
race, 
ghing 
what 
them 


we 


'^^, 


Gospel  as  that  knowledge  which  makes  a  race  of  Chris- *'j 
tians  superior  to  a  race  of  heathens,  but  assuring  him 
that  it  constrains  no  one — free  itself,  it  must  be  freely 
received.    "  You  may  not  believe  my  words  at  present,"! 
remarked  Zeisberger,  "  but  the  time  is  coming  wheui 
you  and  I  and  all  men  will  stand  before  God,  and  every-/* 
thing  will  be  known  and  revealed.     In  that  day  it  will 
appear  that  I  have  this  day  spoken  the  truth,  and  you 
will  then  acknowledge  the  reality  of  what  you  nowj 
denounce." 

Gieschenatsi  had  recovered  from  his  burst  of  passion 
and  gave  them  a  courteous  hearing,  but  his  hostility  to 
the  Christian  religion  continued  unchanged.  Indeed,  it  ^. 
became  evident  that  there  was  no  prospect  of  founding 
a  Mission  in  his  tribe  so  long  as  his  influence  was  ^ 
arrayed  against  it.  The  country,  moreover,  was  filled 
with  rumors  of  an  approaching  Indian  war.  Nor  could 
anything  be  accomplished  at  "Waketameki.  Those  of  C 
its  inhabitants  who  had  been  so  eager  to  embrace  the 
Gospel  were  gone;  the  rest  showed  themselves  indif- 
ferent. Zeisbergc^r  returned  to  Schonbrunn,  and  gave 
up  this  last  attempt  which  the  Church jnade  to  cjonvert 
Shawan^se. 

Both  at  Schonbrunn  and  Gnadenhiitten  new  chapels 
were  now  dedicated,  to  which  the  Indians  flocked  in 
large   numbers.     Scarcely  a  day  passed  that   did  not 
bring  such  as  were  eager  to  hear  the  Gosp-^l.     From\ 
Christmas  to  the  end  of  January  (1773, 1774),  more  than/ 
twenty  converts  were  baptized,  among  them  Echpalawe-  T 
hund,  who  received  the  name  of  Peter.    In  the  pre-J 


394 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


/• ««. 


vious  summer,  Nouh,  the  fii;8t_CheiNokcc_.convert^^ 

been  added  tcijIiejChurch.*    These  baptisms  encoura<£ed 

^Zcisbergcr.      His   Mission   now  embraced    represeuta- 

Jtivesofuiue  tribes.     There  were  Unamis,  Uiialjichtgos, 

laud  Mouseys;  Mohicans,  Nanticokes,  an d.  Shawauese ; 

Canais,  Miu'?oes,  and  a  Cherokee.     And   yet   he  was 

willing  to  let  others  reap,  while  he  went  to  new  fields 

in  which  the  "Word  had  never  been  sown.     A  letter  to 

the  Board  conveys  the  offer  to  undertake  an  exploration 

of  the  Cherokee  country,  and  one  to  Bishop  llehl  says: 

"  Upon  the  whole,  I  wish  that  I  were  free  to  leave  here. 

There  are  so  many  other  places  where   God's  Word 

ought  to  be  preached,  and  so  many  Indians  who  have 

not  yet  heard  that  their  Maker  is  their  Redeemer." 

The  Mission  continued  to  prosper  throughout  the 
winter  and  spring.  Scarcely  two  months  after  Echpala- 
wehund's  conversion,  Newallike  arrived  from  the  Sus- 
quehanna, with  his  whole  family,  and  built  himself  a 
house  at  Schonbrunn.  "We  have,"  said  he,  "no  greater 
wish  on  earth  than  to  become  Christians."  ^  Thus,  one 
by  ouCj  the  head  men  of  the  Delawares^^were  gathered 
in.  When  Natawatwes  beard  of  this  alienation  of  an- 
other  chief,  he  began  to  turn  his  attention  still  more 
earnestly  to  the  claims  of  the  Gospel. 

Zeisberger  ijowundertook  an  important  literary  work^ 
The  festival  of  the  Lord's  Resurrection  was  approach- 
ing, and  he  translated  into  Delaware  the  Easter  Morning 


f  '  He  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  Delawares  in  1753,  and  was  now  domi- 
)  ciliated  among  them,  having  married  one  of  their  women,  who  was  also 
j  baptized  and  named  AVilhelmina. 

'^  »  Ho  was  baptized  on  Ascension-day,  May  12,  1774,  and  received  the 
name  of  Augustin. 


*>-»*/\, 


DAVW  ZEISDERGER. 


395 


I 


Litauy  of  the  Church,  that  the  converts  might  observe) 
the  occasion  in  accordance  with  the  solemn  usage  still 
prevailing  among  Moravians  throughout  the  world.^         ' 

"Very  early,"  "when  it  was  yet  dark,"'  the  church- 
bell  broke  the  silence  of  the  night  and  called  the  Indians  < 
to  the  sanctuary.      Standing   up  among  the  expectant 
worshipers,  Zeisberger  chanted  the  Easter  greeting  of] 
the  primitive  Christians,  "  The  Lord  is  risen  !"  and  the  \ 
congregation  answered  with  a  burst  of  song,  "The  Lord  .♦ 
is  risen  indeed!"     Then,  at  daybreak,  they  all  moved 
out   in    procession,   two    by  two,   to   the    consecrated 
ground  where  seventeen  of  their  number  already  lay 
enshrined,  waiting  for  the  resurrection  of  the  just.    It 
was  the  third  of  April ;  nature  had  flung  aside  her  veil 
of  morning  mist,  and  it  lay  in  transparent  folds  on  the 
bosom  of  the  river.     The  gemmed  trees  were  gently 
swayed  by  the  first  breath  of  spring,  the  sky  was  cloud- 
less, and  over  the  eastern  hills  came  the  sun  to  awaken 
the  valley. 

Zeisberger's  heart  was  deeply  moved  as  he  looked^ 
upon  the  Indians  gathered  around  the  graves  of  their), 
friends,  and.  began  the  Litany  in  their  own  tongue.  \ 

"Nolsittam,"  he  said,  "  nekti   Getanittowitink,  We-i^ 
tochwiuk,  Wequisink  woak  "VVelsit  Mtschitschangunk, 
nan  gischelendangup  weml  koecu  untschi  Jesus  Chris-    ^<^  ^\_ 
tiuk,  woak  Christink  achpop,  mawindammenep  Pemha-j       |^        * 
kamiksit  li  hokeuk."  "^         ^ 

•  ThoJEastgr  Morning  Litiiny  embodies  the  Moraviun  Confession  of  j 
J'jiith.  It  is  prayed  annually  early  in  the  n.orning  of  Easter  Sunday, ' 
and,  wherever  this  is  practicable,  on  the  consecrated  burial  grounds  ofj 
the  Church. 

'  Mark,  xvi.  2  ;  Luke,  xxiv.  1;  John,  zx.  1. 


■"^fT 


/C 


396 


{I  believe  in  the  One  only  God,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy 
Ghost,  who  created  all  things  by  Jesus  Christ,  and  was  in 
Christ,  reconciliny  the  world  unto  himself.) 

To  this  confession  the  choir  »aug  the  response : 
"  Quawullakenimellenk  "Wetocheraollan,  Nihillataman 
Awossagamc  woak  Pemhakamike,  ktelli  gandliatta- 
wanep  jiilil  Lelpoatschik  woak  rittawi  Nostangik,  woak 
ktelli  gemitaehcauiechtauwanep  Amementittak.  Gohan, 
Wetocheiuellan !  utitechquo  ktelgiqui  wuliuaraenep 
elinquechinan." 

( We  thank  thee,  0  Father,  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth, 
because  Thou  hast  hid  these  things  from  the  wise  and  prudent, 
and  hast  revealed  them  unto  babes :  even  so.  Father  ;  for  so  it 
seemed  good  in  Thy  sight.) 

"  Wetochemellan  !"  he  continued,  "gischachsi  mehit- 
tachcaniechtol  Ktellewunsowoagan  !" — that  is,  Father, 
glorify  Thy  name  !  And  with  one  voice  the  congregation 
answered  in  the  words  of  the  Lord's  Prayer : 

"  Ki  Wetochemellenk  Awossagamewunk !  machelen- 
dasutseh  Ktellewunsowoagan.  Ksakimawoagan  peje- 
wiketsch.  Kcelitehewoagan  leketsch  talli  Achqu'd- 
hakamike,  elgiqui  leek  talli  Awossagame.  Milineen 
j'lke  Gischquik  gunigischuk  Achpoan.  "Woak  miwe- 
lendaraauwineen  Ntschannauchsowoagannena  elgiqui 
nilana  miwelendamauwenk  nik  Tschetschanilawequen- 
gik.  Woak  katschi  npawuneen  li  Achquetschiechto- 
woaganink ;  schukund  ktennineen  untschi  Medhikink. 
Alod  knihillatamen  Ksakimawoagan  woak  Ktallewu- 
powoagan  woak  Ktallowilipowoagan  li  hallamagamik. 
Amen." 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


307 


[Our  Father  who  art  in  heaven,  halloiced  he  Thy  name. 
Thy  kingdom  come.  Thy  will  be  done  in  earth  as  it  is  in 
heaven.  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread.  And  forgive  us  our 
trespasses,  as  we  forgive  those  who  trespass  against  us.  And 
lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but  deliver  us  from  evil :  for  thine 
is  the  kingdom,  and  the  j)ower,  and  the  glory,  forever. 
Aynen.) 

Proceeding  with  the  Litany,  he  confessed  faith  in  the 
Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  the  people  adding  to  each 
confession.  This  I  most  certainly  believe;  and  published 
the  great  doctrines  of  u  Christian  Church,  of  her  sacra- 
ments, and  of  the  resurrection  from  the  dead.  Amen 
being  the  solemn  response.  Then  all  united  in  the 
petition:  "Niluna  gettemaki  Matschilipijenk  pataniol- 
hummena,  pendawineen  echvalan  Xihillalijenk  Patta- 
mawos!" 

( We  poor  sinners  pray,  hear  us,  gracious  Lord  and  God  !) 

""Woak  glennineen,"  Zeisberger  went  on,  "hallama- 
gamik  AVitauchsundowoaganink  li  Meniechink  gischta- 
wamit,  hunak  woak  witsche  enda  hallogaganitschik 
Kimachtonnanak,  woak  Chesraupenauk,  nik  metschi 
mentschimat  juke  getink,  woak  lelemineeu  tamse 
newitschitsch  allachimuineen  enda  achpekok  hakey." 

[And  keep  v^  in  everlasting  fellowship  with  our  brethren, 
and  with  our  sisters,  who  have  entered  into  the  joy  of  their 
Lord ;  also  loith  the  servants  and  handmaids  of  the  Church, 
whom  Thou  hast  called  home  in  the  past  year,  and  with  the 
whole  Church  triumphant;  and  lei  us  rest  together  in  Thy 
presence  from  our  labors.) 

And  when  the  Amen  that  followed  this  petition  had 


898 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


¥ 


I  t 


died  away,  there  swelled  from  many  lips  the  sweet-toned 
hymn : 


*'  Tamse  jun  ugattumano, 
Ajunc  Wdtilhuwink, 
Mocum  nhiigutnmano 

Nhukcuchsowoagunink, 
WenUcliihliilluk  Erchiuiwcsit, 
Prtknnt.sc;hit>?ch  kikcuchgiin, 
Neniechink  hokunk  epit 
!Nduun,    Chriist     ndumuignuk- 
giin." 


When  I  shall  gain  permission 

To  leave  this  mortal  tent, 
And  get  from  pain  dismission, 

Jesus,  thyselj  presen'' ; 
And  let  me,  when  expiring, 

Recline  npun  Thy  breast, 
Thus  I  shall  be  acquiring 

Eternal  life  and  rest. 


Once  more  Zeisbergor  resumed  the  Litany,  and  now 
in  exalted  tones  proclaimed : 

"  Machelerauxowoaganitetsch  nanni  Anmiwoaganid 
woak  Pommauchsowoaganid!  auwen  welsittawot  pom- 
mauchsutsch  quouuatsch  angel. 

"  Machelemo  achgenimo  ne  talli  Meniechink  uik  pe- 
hachtit,  woak  nik  ika  pemachpitschik  hokenk." 

( Glory  be  to  Ilim  ivho  is  the  Ilesurrcdion  and  the  Life ; 
He  was  dead,  and  behold,  He  is  alive  for  evermore :  and  he 
that  bdicvcth  in  Him,  though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live. 

Glory  be  to  Him  in  the  Church  which  waitethfor  Him,  and 
in  that  which  is  around  Him.) 

From  everlasting  to  everlasting,  said  the  congregation. 

Then  came  the  benediction  : 

"  Wulanittowoagan  Nihillalquonk  Jesus  Christ,  woak 
Wtahoaltowoagan  Getanittowit,  woak  Witauchsundo- 
woagan  Welsit  Mtschitschank,  achpitaquengetsch  wemi." 

( The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  love  of  God, 
and  the  communion  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  be  with  ns  all.) 

Loud  and  full  of  joy,  ringing  far  over  the  plateau  and 
into  the  depths  of  the  forest,  rose  the  final  Amen. 


DAVID  ZEISBEROER. 


399 


Jt-toned 


lasion 

ejii, 

innioyi. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 


DUNMORE'S  WAR.— 'i774. 


pc- 


Rupture  between  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania. — Lord  Dunmoro  and 
Connolly. — The  conduct  of  the  Western  Indians  sinco  the  Pontine 
Conspiracy. — Irresponsible  border  warfare. — Unlawful  sale  of  land 
by  the  Iroquois  to  Virginia. — Excitement  among  tlio  Sliawanesc. — 
Massacres. — Retaliation  on  the  part  of  the  settlors. — Indians  indis- 
criminately murdered  near  "Wheeling  and  opposite  Wollsvillo. — 
Logan's  family  among  the  number. — Ilis  revenge. — The  Mission 
and  the  Delaware  Council  advocate  peace. — White  Eyes  its  great 
champion. — Glikkikan'a  appeal  to  him  to  become  a  Christian. — The 
converts  ask  the  Delaware  Council  to  naturalize  all  their  teachers. — 
Roth  and  family  return  to  Pennsylvania. — The  subsequent  life  of  the 
first  white  child  born  in  Ohio. — Tlio  war  begins. — E.'ccitement  among 
the  young  Delawares,  and  threats  against  the  missionaries. — The 
nation  still  for  peace. — Preliminary  campaign  against  the  Shawaneso 
on  the  Muskingum. — Their  towns  destroyed. — Dunmoro's  and  Lewis's 
campi'ign. — Battle  of  Point  Pleasant. — Cornstalk. — Dunmoro  on  the 
Scioto. — Adopts  White  Eyes'  counsel  and  opens  negotiations. — Peace 
concluded  at  Camp  Charlotte. — Logan's  speech. — White  Eyes  and  the 
Delawares  reap  praise  from  Lord  Dunmore. 

Seasons  of  spiritual  refreshing,  like  the  Easter  Fes- 
tival just  referred  to,  were  rudely  interrupted  by  an 
Indian  war,  the  prelude  to  which  was  a  rupture  between 
the  governments  of  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania,  of  a 
most  unwarrantable  character  on  the  part  of  the 
former. 

Lord  Dunmore,  the  Governor  of  Virginia,  who 
favored  colonization  in  the  West  because  he  knew 
how  to  make  an  official  position  subserve  his  private 


400 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


liii' 


n 


interestc,  fell  upon  the  idea  of  extending  his  govern- 
ment and  increasing  hir-  Oi\>ortunitie8  of  self-aggran- 
.dizeraeut  by  a  bold  act  of  usurpation.     The-e  came  to 
Pittsburg  (1774)  a  certain  John  Connonj,_a,_d£ctor^of 
medicine,   land-jobber^   and   willing   tool  of   any   evil 
schemCj^  and,  without    notice    to    the  government  of 
Pennsylvania,  assumed  command  of  that  post  and  all 
its  dependencies,  issued  a  proclamation  announcing  his 
commission  from  Lord  Dunmore,  and  ordered  a  muster 
of  the  militia.     In  opposition  to  such  unlawful  proceed- 
ings, Governor  Penu  instructed  Arthur  St.  Clair,  the 
Clerk  of  Westmoreland   County,  to  enforce  the  Riot 
■  Act.^    This  Dunmore  pretended  to  take  as  a  persona^ 
'  insult,  and  obstinately  refused  to  settle  the  dispute,  in 
spite  of  the  most  honorable  offers  on  the  part  of  the 
Council  of  Pennsylvania.     The  confusion  thus  prevail- 
ing along  the  frontier  was  increased  by  hostilities  with 
the  savages. 

Whatever  other  writers  may  say  to  the  contrary,  we 

/have  the  united  testimony  of  the  missionaries,  whose 

I  opportunities  to  ascertain  the  truth  will  not  be  disputed, 

\that  the  Indians,  after  the  close  of  Pontiac's  '^^onspiracy, 

jremained  faithful,  as  nations,  to  their  treaties  with  the 

iColonies.      Irresponsible    parties,  indeed,   occasionally 

(murdered  white   men.     But  such  acts  were  not  acts 

Jof  war,  and  found  their  equivalents  among  the  back- 

wcodsmen  themselves,  the    most  of  whom    aa    little 

hesitated  to  shoot  an  Indian  as  to  shoot  a  "bear  or  a 


»  Penn.  Cul.  Kecords,  x.  140,  etc. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


401 


goveru- 
aggran- 
came  to 
octor  of 
inj   evil 
nent  of 
and  all 
cing  his 
1  muster 
proceed- 
lair,  the 
he  Riot 
persona' 
3pute,  in 
t  of  the 
prevail- 
ties  with 

rarj,  we 
I,  whose 
lisputed, 
ispiraey, 
^ith  the 
.sionally 
lot  acta 
e  back- 
.0  little 
;ar  or  a 


buffalo."  Irregular  and  bloody  proceedings  of  this 
sort  are  inevitable  when  a  superior  race  dispossesses  an 
inferior  one  of  its  homes. 

An  instance  occurred  in  the  spring  of  1773.     Somei 
Shawanese    who    came    to    Gekelemukpechunk    with\ 
white    scalps    were    rebuked    by    the    Delawares,    andj 
ordered  to  leave  their  territory.*     Nor  did  they  raeetl 
with  anything  but  censure  in  their  own  towns.     Soon; 
after  this,  however,  the  Iroquois  ceded  to  Virginia  a| 
large  tract  of  land  south  of  the  Ohio,  below  the  mouth 
of  the  Great  Kanawha.'^    It  was  an  illegal  transaction. 
That  country  belonged  to  other  nations  and  not  to  the 
League;  but  settlers  immediately  pressed  forward,  and 
built  their  cabins  close  to  the  Shawanese.     Then  first 
this  tribe  openly  talked  of  war.     Before  the  excitement 
could  be  allayed,  another  lawless  massacre  added  to  its 
intensity.     Three  traders  fell  victims  to  the  cupidity  of 
some  Cherokees,  with  whom  they  were  going  down  the 
Ohio,  and  to  whom  they  incautiously  displayed  a  large 
quantity  of  silver  trinkets.'    At  the  same  time,  Indians 
on  the  Great  Kanawha  had,  it  was  reported,  stolen  a 
number  of  horses.     Instead  of  seeking  redress  from  the 
tribal  authorities,  the  settlers  began  to  avenge  them- 
selves by  indiscriminately  slaughtering  Indians  of  any 
name. 

A  body  of  land-jobbers  and  their  adherents  had  col- 

'  Zeisberger's  Diary,  Schonbrunn,  May,  1773.     MS.  L.  A. 

» Ibid.,  July,  1773. 

•Ibid.,  April,  1774.     MS.  L.  A. 

26 


'!■ 


:iU: 


Hi  ,  1    'flj' 


'^' 


402 


Z/7FJ5;  A^D   TIMES  OF 


^. 


0 


,j 


^^ 


/ 


lected  at  Wheeling,  under  Captain  Cresap.'  On  the 
twenty-seventh  of  April,  regardless  of  the  earnest  pro- 
testations of  Colonel  Zane,  the  proprietor  of  the  place, 
who  predicted  an  Indian  war  as  the  inevitable  result,  they 
shot,  in  cold  blood,  two  natives  descending  the  river  in  a 
canoe  with  white  traders ;  and,  in  the  evening  of  the 
same  day,  attacked  a  peaceful  encampment  at  the  month 
of  Captina  Creek,*  killing  a  number  of  Indiana.  A  few 
days  later,  thirty-two  men,  under  Daniel  Greathouse, 
marched  to  the  Baker  Plantation  in  Virginia,  opposite 
the  present  Wellsville,  where  was  another  encampment 
of  natives,  and  having  enticed  some  of  them  to  cross 
the  river  brutally  murdered  them,  and  then  killed 
several  more  who  cams  to  inquire  the  cause  of  the 
firing.  Twelve  Indians  fell  on  this  occasion,  and  a 
number  were  wounded.*  Among  the  dead  was  the 
entire  family  of  Logan. 

^  Hostilities  so  unjustifiable  inflamed  the  Seneca  Min- 
^  goes  of  the  Ohio  valley,  and  a  majority  of  the  Shawa- 
nese,  with  the  desire  of  revenge.  The  Shawanese  towns 
OD  the  Muskingum  inclined  to  peace,*  but  the  rest  of  the 
nations  clamored  for  war;  while  Logan,  his  soul  turned 
to  gall  against  that  race  whose  friend  he  and  his  father 
Shikellimy  had  ever  been,  calling  around  him  chosen 


\'  1  Doddridge's   Notes   on   the  Settlements  and  Indian  Wara  of  the 
Western  Parts  of  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania,  p.  226. 
»  In  Belmont  County,  Ohio,  flowing  into  the  Ohio  River. 
«  Doddridge's  Notes,  p.  227. 
_■  *  Tenn.  Archives,  iv.  568,     Deposition  of  Richard  Butler,  a  trader, 
who  vindicates  the  good  faith  of  those  Shawanese  among  whom  he  had 
been  living. 


JDAVir   ZEISBERGER. 


403 


On  the 
lest  pro- 
he  place, 
suit,  they 
river  in  a 
g  of  the 
16  month 
A  few 
eathouse, 
,  opposite 
ampment 
to  cross 
en   killed 
ie  of  the 
,  and  a 
was   the 


r 


neca  Min- 
le  Shawa- 
ese  towns 
•est  of  the 
ml  turned 
his  father 
m  chosen 

rVars  of  the 


sr,  a  trader, 
rhom  he  had 


followers,  went  out  to  strike  blow  for  blow,  and  ceasotT 
not  until  for  each  of  his  thirteen  murdered  kinsfolk  a 
scalp  had  been  torn  from  a  white  man's  head.  "Now," 
he  said,  "  I  am  satisfied  for  the  loss  of  my  relations  aucU 
will  sit  still."  Nor  did  he  take  any  further  part  in  th0, 
war. 

Jungmann  and  Schebosh,  returning  from  Pittsburg, 
were  the  first  to  bring  to  Schonbrunn  the  news  of  Con- 
nolly's usurpation  and  the  approaching  conflict.  This 
intelligence  was  confirmed  a  week  later,  on  a  tranquil 
Sunday  evening,  by  the  arrival  of  a  messenger  frorn 
Gekelemukpechiink,  who  announced,  with  fearful  war-^ 
whoops,  ano^er_jtta33g;Cre^^of_Indig,ns  on  the  Ohio.' 
There  followed,  for  Zeisberger  and  the  Mission,  several 
months  of  anxiety,  but  also  of  earnest  labors  in  the  in- 
terests of  peace.  While  Lord  Dnnmore  was  collecting' 
forces  to  crush  the  Sr>awanese,  and  his  tool  at  Pitts-/ 
burg  was  augmenting  the  complications  by  his  brutal/ 
treatment  of  the  Indians,  the  converts,  in  conjunction' 
with  the  Delawares,  encouraged  by  S'r  William  John- 
son and  Croghan,  did  what  they  could  to  avert  a  wai\ 
Their  eftbrts  met  with  varying  success.  A  part  of  the 
Shawanese  continued  friendly,  the  rest  sometimes  list- 
ened to  reason,  and  then  again  fiercely  turned  away  from 
every  attempt  at  a  pacification,  even  firing  upon  Dela- 
ware messengers  sent  to  conciliate  them.  Without 
doubt,  however,  the  negotiations  would  eventually  have 
been  crowned  with  the  happiest  results  if  the  impetu- 
ous young  braves  could  have  been  i-estrained  from  the 
war-path,  and  the  settlers  could  have  been  kept  from 


^^m 


404 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


mm 


:^       I 


Ify     IMil 


■P 


c 


y- 


3^ 


r^'N 


„/ 


provoking  and  retaliating  their  assaults.     A  council  of 

!Dela\vares,  Shawanese,  Ilurons,  and  Cherokees,  lield  at 
Gekeleniukpechiiuk  in  June,  seemed  to  promise  peace; 
iiut  scarcely  had  it  separated  when  three  Shawanese  of 
the  lower  towns,  who  had  magnanimously  protected 
several  traders  and  escorted  them  to  Pittsburg,  were 
attacked  on  their  homeward  way  by  a  party  of  borderers 
and  barely  escaped  with  one  of  their  number  wounded. 
The  most  active  upholder  of  peace  was  White  E^es. 
This  brought  him  into  closer  union  with  the  Christian 
Indians,  and  he  recognized,  more  and  more,  the  bene- 

;ficial  influence  which  they  were  exerting  among  the 
Delawares.  Glikkikan  lost  no  opportunity  to  impress 
upon  him  the  truths  of  the  Gospel.     On  one  occasion 

I  he  made  a  touching  appeal  to  him. 

"Brother,"  said  he,  "you  remember  our  ancient 
friendship.  We  pledged  ourselves  to  be  faithful  one  to 
another  and  love  one  another  as  long  as  we  lived.     We 

;  placed  our  schewondican  (tobacco-pouch)  between  us,  that 
each  might  take  from  it  at  will.  We  agreed  to  tell  each 
other  if  either  of  us  should  discover  the  true  way  to 

I  happiness,  so  that  both  of  us  might  walk  therein.     I 

(  wish  to  redeem  that  promise.     I  wish  to  testify  to  you 

,  that  I  have  found  this  vv^ay  and  am  following  it  up.     It 
is  the  Word  of  God.     This  leads  to  salvation  and  life 
eternal.     Come,  go  with  me  ;  share  my  happiness." 
Tears  rolled  down  the  cheeks  of  White  Eyes  as  he 

'  listened  to  these  words,  and  he  assured  his  friend  that 
he  often  thought  of  becoming  a  Christian.  Nor  was  it 
long  before  he  had  an  opportunity  of  evidencing  his 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


405 


sympathy  with  the  Mission.  The  converts  presented  a\ 
belt  to  the  Council  at  Gekelenmkpechiink,  and  askedl 
that  all  their  teachers,  and  not  Zeisberger  only,  should  j 
be  naturalized  as  Delavvares,  and  thus  enjoy  the  protec- 
tion of  the  tribe  in  the  event  of  a  war.  This  measure 
White  Eyes  warmly  urged.  It  was,  however,  not 
adopted,  but  referred  to  the  councilors  for  further  con- 
sideration. Meanwhile  Roth  and  his  family — the  only 
one  of  the  missionaries  that  had  children — returned  to 
Bethlehem,  by  the  advice  of  Zeisberger.* 

Toward  the  end  of  June  the  war  began.     Eight  par- 
ties of  Shawanese  and  Mingoes  lurked  in  the  forests. 


\ 


'  In  this  way,  John  Lewis  Koth,  the  first  white  child  born  on  the  soil 
of  Ohio,  was  brought  to  Pennsylvania  when  not  quite  one  year  of  age. 
There  his  parents  lived  suci;essivoly  at  Mountjoy,  York,  Emmaus,  and 
Hebron,  at  all  of  which  places  his  father  was  pastor  of  the  Moravian 
church.  In  1790,  his  father  took  charge  a  second  time  of  the  church  at 
York,  where  ho  died  in  the  following  year  on  the  ii2d  of  July.  His 
mother  died  at  Nazareth,  February  25,  1805. 

John  Lewis  Koth  himself  was  educated  at  Nazareth  Ha11,nnd  formed 
a  member  of  the  class  of_lJ85j  the  first  organized  in  that  institution. 
After  leaving  Nazi.reth  Ilall  there  are  no  traces  of  him  for  a  number  • 
of  years,  until  ho  is  found  living  on  a  farm  near  Nazareth,  married,  ■ 
and  the  head  of  a  family.  In  1836,  he  became  a  resident  of  Bath,  Pa.,  \ 
and  joined  the  Lutheran  church  which  the  Kev.  A.  Fuchs  gathered  in 
that  neighborhood.  Of  this  church  he  remained  a  consistent  and  worthy 
member.  He  died  on  the  25th  of  September,  1841,  in  the  C9th  year  of* 
his  age,  and  was  buried  in  the  Bath  grave-yard,  where  his  remains  now\ 
lie.     His  tombstone  bears  the  following  inscription: 

"Zum  Andenken  a:i  Liidwig  Roth,  (jeborcn  Ath  Juli,  1773.     Qestorhen       1 
2bth  September,  1841,  Alter  68  Jalire,  2  M.,  21  Tage."  \ 

2iIt.  Fuchs  preached  his  funeral  sermon  on  the  jiarable  of  the  prodi- 
gal, which  text  Iloth  himself  selected  previous  to  his  death.     He  left  • 
five  children,  ibur  sons  and  one  daughter.     For  the.se  facts  I  am  in-  ; 
debted  to  Mr.  Andrew  G.  Kern,  of  Nazareth,  and  especiaJly  to  Rev.  A. 
Fuchs,  of  Bath. 


I!  Il^ 


41 


/ 


X  y:,,,..  ^(^^ 


406 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


'.r.i  V 


while  Virginia  volunteers  were  drawing  near  to  the  Tus- 
carawas valley.     This  excited  ihe  young  Delawares  to 
the   highest  pitch.     They  snuft'ed  the  coming  battles, 
und  could  hardly  be  restrained.     Taking  advantage  of 
I  the  absence  of  White  Eyes,  they  insisted  upon  an  offen- 
isive   alliance  with  the   Shawanese,  and   upon   forcibly 
[silencing    the    Christian    Indians   and   their    teachers. 
LeD  the  teachers  be  put  to  death !"  they  said.     Two 
(families  of  converts,  one  of  them  that  of  old  Allemewi, 
(3'ielded  to  these  evii  influences,  forsook  the  Mission, 
jaud  made  common  cause  with  the  savages.    Assurances 
sent  by  the  volunteers,  that  they  would  not  molest  the 
Delawares,  but  were  advancing  against  the  Shawanese, 
somewhat  calmed  the  storm ;   and  when  White  Eyes 
arrived  from  Pittsburg  with  ofl[icial   messages  of  the 
same  import,  it  came  to  a  sudden  end.     Prompted  by 
i  the  Christian  party,  the  Council  decreed  neutrality,  and 
J  advised  all  Delawares  to  remain  in  their  towns  during 
'_tl)e  approaching  attack  upon  the  Shawanese. 

This  took  place  in  the  beginning  of  August.^    Colonel 

Angus  McDonald,  at  the  head  of  four  hundred  men 

collected  from  the  western  part  of  Virginia,  by  order 

of  Dunmore,  proceeded  against  W"aketameki,  and,  after 

a  feeble  resistance  on  the  part  of  the  Indians,  destroyed 

'  this  town  together  with  four  other  villages.     The  tribe 

I  itself,   however,  escaped,   and    but    three  chiefs  were 

[brought  back  as  prisoners. 


1  Zeisberger's  Diery,  Schiinbrunu,  MS.  L.  A.j  Doddridge's  Notes, 
241-243. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


407 


The  war,  which  had  thus  been  inaugurated,  was 
now  carried  on  with  vigor.*  Two  other  bodies  of  men 
had  been  mustered :  the  one,  composed  of  Southern 
Virginians,  at  Camp  Union,  in  the  Greenbrier  country* 
— the  other  from  the  Northern  counties,  at  Pittsburg, 
whither  Dunmore  had  gone  in  person  to  lead  it  to  the 
field.  These  two  divisions  were  to  unite  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Great  Kanawha. 

On  the  eleventh  of  September  the  Southern  forces, 
numbering  eleven   hundred   men,  began  their   march 
through   the  pathless  wilderness  and  over  mountains 
covered  with  tangled  thickets  and  massive  rocics.     The 
supplies  and  ammunition  were   transported  on   pack- 
horses.     After  nineteen  weary  days  of  hardships,  they 
encamped,  on  the  first  of  October,  at  Point  Pleasant, 
which  had  been  designated  as  the  place  of  rendezvous. 
On  the  ninth,  an  express  arrived    informing   Colonel 
Lewis  that  Lord  Dunmore  had  changed  his  plan  of 
operations  and  ordering  him  to  march  to  old  Chillicothe, 
in  the   Scioto  valley.      The  following  day  two  of  the\ 
men,  while  hunting,  suddenly  encountered  a  Shawanese 
camp,  all  alive  with  preparations  for  an  immediate  at-/ 
tack.     One  of  them  was  shot,  the  other  escaped  and| 
gave  the  alarm;  but  before  Colonel  Lewis  could  call, 
out  more  than  two  detachments,  eight  hundred  con-1 
federate  Shawanese  and  Mingoes  were  upon  him.     At 
about  four  hundred  yards  from  the  encampment  the 


>  Doddridge's  Notes,  chap,  xxvi.;  Bancroft's  Hist.  U,  S,jjj:ii.  167/  etc. 
*  Now  Lewisburg,  Greenbrier  County,  Virginia. 


408 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


l^' 


^'^ 


"battle  began.  Th^  savages  were  commanded  b^.their 
great  elKinipion,  Cprnstalk,  who  displayed  consum- 
mate ffenoralship.  After  the  first  onset,  he  so  manoju- 
vred  his  men  that  the  Virginians  were  inclosed  within 
a  triangle,  of  which  the  Ohio  and  Kanawha  Rivers 
formed  the  two  sides  and  the  Indian  army  the  base. 
j  All  day  long,  from  sunrise  to  sunset,  the  battle  raged. 
!  Both  parties  fought  with  the  utmost  fur}'.  Above  the 
din  of  the  conflict  rose  Cornstalk's  voice,  encouraging 
his  men,  and  saying,  "  Be  strong  !  be  strong !"  Finally 
the  Indians  fell  back,  crossed  the  Ohio  in  the  night,  and 
hurried  to  the  Scioto.  Their  loss  was  never  ascertained. 
That  of  the  Virginians  was  heavy;  seventy -five  were 
killed,  and  one  hundred  and  forty  wounded.  Yet  they 
might  well  claim  the  victory.  The  foe  was  gone,  and 
they  moved  unmolested  toward  his  towns. 
^  Thither  Dunmore  had  preceded  them,  with  White 
*,Eyes  as  his  adviser  and  the  representative  of  the  Dela- 
i  ware  Council.'  White  Eyes  used  every  means  to  pre- 
vent  further  bloodshed.  He  induced  the  Earl  to  re- 
linquish his  plan  of  scouring  the  forests  on  his  way 
from  the  Ohio  to  the  Scioto,  and  advocated  a  treaty, 
urging  that  the  mere  presence  of  the  army  would 
bring  the  Shawanese  to  terms.  Convinced  of  the  rea- 
sonableness of  this  policy,  Dunmore  began  negotiations, 
and  sent  orders  to  Colonel  Lewis  to  return  to  Virginia. 
But  Lewis,  upheld  by  the  sentiments  of  his  whole  com- 
mand, disregarded   this  order,   continued  to   advance, 


1  Zeisberger's  Diary,  Schonbrunn.    MS.  L.  A. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


409 


/ 


c-C  C(  ;*  1 


and,  on  the  twenty-fourth  of  October,  effected  a  junction 
with  the  main  body  in  Pickaway,  near  old  Cliillicothe.' 
The  Earl  reiterating  his  orders  in  person,  he  was  forced 
to  obey,  although  with  extreme  reluctance,  his  men 
burning  to  overrun  the  Scioto  valley  and  exterminate 
the  Shawauese. 

Toward_the  end  of  October,  peace  was  concluded  at 
Camp  Charlottg.'    Logan  refused  to  attend  the  nogotia-") 
tions,  and  sent  that  brief  but  celebrated  speech  which  y 
has  been  considered  a  master-piece   in   the  annals  of!  {_^\  >  [^  ^ 
oratory.     The  Indians  yielded  in  every  particular ;  gave  | 
up  their  prisoners,  restored  their  plunder,  and  pledged 
themselves  to  peacf  and  friendship  with  the  Colonies.' 
Lord  Dunmore  took  occasion  to  extol  White  Eyes  and 
his  people.     They  had  been,  he  said,  the  unflinching 
advocates  of  peace ;  he  and  they  were  one  body ;  and 
the  Shawauese  must  remember  that  only  out  of  regard 
for  these,  their  grandfathers,  had  he  treated  them  so 
leniently. 

Carrying  off  four  Shawauese   and  ten   Miugoes  as 
hostages^  the  Earl  marched  back  to  Virgiuja. 


I 

if:  '\ 

i:    Ji] 


'1' 


•  Now  Pickaway  Township,  on  the  Scioto,  at  the  southern  end  of 
Pickaway  County,  Ohio. 

"  On  the  left  bank  of  Sippo  Creek,  seven  miles  southeast  of  Circle- 
ville,  Pickaway  County,  Ohio. 

•  Zeisberger's  Diary,  Schonbrunn.    MS.  L.  A. 


hA 


><    .      ■-     1. 


410 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

THE  GREAT  PLANS  OF  ZEISBEIiaER  AND  WHITE  EYES.— 1774. 

False  rumors  at  Sohonbrunn  and  Gekclemnkpechiink  concerning  the 
results  of  Dunmorc's  War.— The  Delawares  send  a  message  to  the 
Shawanesc  denouncing  the  missionaries  and  the  Christian  religion. 
— Insolent  behavior  of  young  warriors  and  the  rabble. — Zeisbcrgcr's 
restrospect  and  thoughts  amid  these  troubles. — Determines  to  insist 
upon  a  formal  recognition  of  the  Mission,  and  hopes  to  build  up  a 
Christian  Indian  state. — White  Eyes  returns  from  Dunmore's  War. 
— A  national  council  called  to  hear  his  report. — His  speech. — Ho 
brings  back  the  message  sent  to  the  Shawanese,  shows  its  illegality, 
rebukes  his  countrymen  for  sending  it,  and  publicly  weeps  over  it. 
— He  refuses  to  have  any  further  connection  with  Nctawatwes, 
and  resigns  his  councilorship. —  The  Christian  deputies  mediators 
between  him  and  the  chief. — White  Eyes'  ultimatum. — Visits 
Schonbrunn  and  unfolds  his  plans  to  Zeisberger. — Their  character. 
— Spiritual  prosperity  of  the  Mission. 

The  conclusion  of  peace  was  not  known  at  Schon- 
brunn and  Gekeleraukpechiink.  In  the  latter  town  the 
Indians  began  to  grow  suspicious  and  the  evil-disposed 
to  plot.  False  reports  of  the  most  alarming  character 
came  from  the  Scioto.  Lord  Dunmore,  it  was  said,  had 
slain  or  taken  prisoners  the  whole  Shawanese  nation ; 
treacherously  murdered  White  Eyes ;  and  was  now 
marching  against  the  Delawares.  These  rumors  gained 
such  credence  that  the  seizure  of  the  white  teachers,  to  be 
held  as  protective  hostages,  openly  found  favor.  And  al- 
though it  was  not  attempted,  the  missionaries  made  other 
unpleasant  experiences.    The  Shawanese  had  taunted  the 


DAVID   ZEISDERGEB 


411 


Delawares  as  Schwonnaks  (Christians).  This  filled  the 
young  warriors  of  Gekelemukpechiink  with  indig- 
nation, uud  they  induced  Netawatvvcs  to  send  the 
Shawanese  a  message,  saying  that  they  neither  were 
nor  ever  would  be  Schwonnaks;  that  they  had  not  in- 
vited white  teachers  to  live  among  them  ;  and  that 
those  who  were  in  their  country  must  have  come  at 
the  bidding  of  foolish  persons.  By  this  message,  which\ 
was  so  flagrantly  untrue  that  it  could  have  emanated  1  , 
from    an    Indian    council    only,  the   converts  and   the      /•'       ^f 


missionaries  were,  in  a  manner,  outlawed.  Young 
braves  from  the  capital,  and  the  most  of  its  idle 
rabble,  flocked  to  Schbnbrunn,  and  demeaned  them- 
selves in  a  way  no  Indian  had  ever  before  ventured  to  I 
do  in  that  town,  disregarding  its  municipal  regulations,  ) 
and  insolently  saying  that  it  was  their  town  ;  that  the 
land  on  which  it  stood  was  their  laud ;  that  they  would 
hU  at  Schbnbrunn  as  at  Gekelemukpechiink;  that  the 
Christian  Indians  had  no  special  rights  or  privileges. 

Although  this  state  of  aflairs  continued  for  several 
days,  Zeisberger  was  not  discouraged.  Convinced  that 
the  reports  from  the  Scioto  were  fictitious ;  that  the 
assault  upon  the  Mission  was  but  the  bluster  of  rash 
young  men,  and  the  weakness  of  timid  old  councilors, 
he  hopefully  waited  for  "White  Eyes'  return.  It  was  his 
opinion  that  this  Indian  had  been  chosen  by  God  not 
only  to  deliver  the  Church  from  existing  difliculties,  but 
also  to  carry  out  lofty  plans  which  he  had  long  been 
revolving  in  his  mind,  and  which  these  troubles  but 
served  to  develop. 


.^ 


T 


I 


Vi. 


t  , 


f; 


-iV 


IN-I 


412 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


A  retrospect  of  liis  experiences  lu  the  Tuscarawas 
valley  showed  him  things  in  their  true  light.  He  saw 
now  that  self-interest,  and  not  a  real  desire  for  the 
Gospel,  had  induced  the  Delaware  chiefs  to  ofi'er  the 
^Christian  Indians  a  home.  They  wanted  to  increase 
the  power  of  their  nation  by  incorporating  with  it  so 
prosperous  a  community.  The  missionaries  were  to 
ibe  dismissed  as  soon  as  possible.  But  these  cunning 
plotters  had  been  caught  in  their  own  toils.  Ignorant 
of  the  power  of  the  Gospel,  they  had  not  taken  its 
influences  into  account.  The  converts  came  and  were 
gladly  received ;  their  teachers  arrived  and  were  hypo- 
critically welcomed ;  the  Word  of  God  was  preached, 
und — marvelous  issue  in  the  eyes  of  the  savages ! — ere 
the  second  year  drew  to  an  end,  it  had  pierced  the 
hearts  of  some  of  the  worst  abettors  of  this  scheme 
of  aggrandizement,  and  brought  many  others  into  the 
Church  of  Christ.  Hence,  in  point  of  numbers  and 
influence,  the  Mission  had  gained  a  standing  which 
/must  be   respected.      It  was  no   longer  a  handful  of 

(I  shrinking  converts ;  it  counted  more  than  four  hundred 
souls,  and  among  them  chiefs,  captains,  and  councilors 
who  had  given  renown  to  the  Delaware  name.  This 
was  the  time,  thought  Zeisberger,  to  assert  its  rights. 
It  must  not  be  merely  tolerated ;  the  Christian  Indians 
and  thoir  teachers  must  have  all  the  privileges  of 
citizens;  be  on  a  footing  of  equality  with  the  other 
Delawares ;  hold  their  land,  not  at  the  will  of  the 
Council,  but  in  their  own  right,  so  that  "they  would 
{not  be  like  a  bird   sitting  on  a  bough,"  but  have  a 


DAVID  ZEISDEROER. 


413 


\  «, 


s 


pcMMiiancnt  home ;  and  throughout  tlie  luvtion  ah8oluttf\ 
religiouf"  liberty  must  be  proeluinied  by  a  formal  dccreo/ 
of  the  Council,  allowing  any  Delaware,  or  all  the  Dola-'' 
wares,  to  embrace  the  Gospel  without  fear  of  oppo- 
sition. \ 
Zeisberger's  plan  challenges  admiration.  lie  aimed! 
at  nothing  short  of  a  Christian  Indian  state  in  .th©i 
midst  of  the  aboriginal  domain.  He  would  establish) 
a  center  of  religion  and  civilization,  whence  benign, 
influences  would  stream  forth  and  enlighten  the  land, 
lie  would  build  for  the  Gospel  a  stronghold  from  which 
it  could  not  be  driven.     He  would  have  the  tribes  of  tho/ 

I 

South  and  the  nations  of  the  Northwest  and  the  League 
of  the  Iroquois  to  acknowledge  that  a  people  of  tho 
living  God  was  arisen  among  them — a  people  whose 
voice  must  be  heard,  whose  rights  must  be  respected, 
and  whose  principles  must  be  honored. 

"While  dwelling  on  such  hopes,  White  Eyes  returned, 
and  invited  deputies  from  the  Christian  towns  to  attend 
a  national  council  culled  to  hear  his  report  of  the  cam- 
paign. It  met  in  the  Council  House  of  Gekelemuk- 
pechiink  (November  5)  —  a  structure  about  sixty  feet 
long  b}'  twenty-four  broad,  with  one  post  in  the  middle 
and  two  fires  —  and  there  were  present  Netawatwes, 
together  with  all  his  advisers,  many  other  chiefs  and 
captains  from  the  three  tribes,  a  delegation  of  five  con- 
verts, who  were  all  former  headmen  of  the  Delawares, 
and  a  large  body  of  spectators. 

Standing  in  the  center  of  the  house,  in  the  proud 
consciousness  of  having  done  his  duty  to  his  country, 


f  I  J  . 


';.  i . 


r,    I:  ■ 


^ 


414 


LIFE  AXD   TIMES  OF 


to  the  Colonies,  and  the  Shawanese,  White  Eyes  began 
his  speech,  giving  a  detailed  narrative  of  Lord  Dnn- 
more's  expedition  to  the  Scioto  and  the  treaty  at  Camp 
Charlotte,  and  rehearsing,  in  conclusion,  the  eulogy 
pronounced  by  the  Earl  upon  the  Delawares.  This 
awakened  general  enthusiasm,  the  whole  Council 
bursting  into  applause  and  complimenting  their  brave 
captain.  He  paid  no  attention  to  their  flattering  words, 
but  continued  his  address. 

He  well  knew,  he  sold,  that  he  had  been  reviled, 
accused  of  ingratiating  himself  with  the  Virginians, 
and  endangering  the  prosperity  and  even  the  existence 
of  his  nation.  Such  reproach  had  been  cast  upon  him 
while  he  was  yet  among  the  Shawai.ese,  and  repeat- 
edly on  his  way  home.  He  had  been  trying  to  deliver 
the  Shawanese  from  destruction,  and  his  own  country 
from  the  presence  of  an  army,  but  its  chiefs  and  cap- 
tains, his  friends  and  companions,  had  impugned  his 
motives,  and  incited  the  Shawanese  to  threaten  him 
with  death. 

Not  a  word  was  said  in  reply ;  the  whole  assembly  sat 

/silent  and  confused.     After  a  brief  pause,  he  resumed  : 

"Kcquethagachton  is  not  yet  done.     Returning  to  his 

lodge,  he   met  a  messene^er  to  the  Shawanese  with  a 

]  string  of  wampum  and  these  words,  *  "Why  do  you  call 

I  me  a  Schwonnak,  seeing  I  have  twenty  hatchets  sticking 

I  in  my  head?*     If  you   call   me  a  Schwonnak  because 

1  A  figurative  form  of  speech,  moaning  that,  since  the  last  treaty 
between  the  Colonies  and  the  Delawares,  twenty  of  the  latter  had  been 
slain  by  white  men. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


f 


"1^ 


415 


Christian  Indians  and  their  teachers  have  their  night- 
lodge  on  the  Gekelemukpechiink,  know  that  I  do  not 
listen  to  what  they  preach,  and  will  never  accept  the 
Word  of  God — no,  not  in  all  eternity  I' 

"I  stopped  this  message,"  continued  the  speaker, 
"  and  brought  it  back.     Now  I  will  consider  its  points. 

"The  first  is  unlawful.  It  refers  to  the  hatchet,  to 
war.  Neither  Netawatwes,  nor  any  other  chief,  has  the 
right  to  send  a  message  about  the  hatchet,  about  war, 
without  my  consent.  This  is  my  prerogative.  I  am 
the  principal  captain  a.nd  war-councilor  of  this  nation. 
This  point  is  foolish,  too.  Have  we  not  been  urging 
the  Shawanese  to  remain  at  peace,  and  now  our  chief 
sends  them  a  war-message  ! 

"  The  second  point  fills  me  with  grief.  What,  not  in 
all  eternity  will  the^Delawares  accept  the  Gospel !  I 
spent  the  whole  summer  in  efforts  to  restore  peace,  that 
we  might  sit,  with  our  women  and  children,  around  our 
fires  and  not  be  disturbed  by  every  passing  wind  of 
rumor  and  every  rising  storm  of  fear.  To  gain  this 
eiid  I  sacrificed  my  health  and  gave  my  strength.  I 
d.d  this  willingly,  because  I  had  a  still  higher  and  better 
purpose  in  view.  I  wanted  my  people,  when  peace 
should  be  established  in  the  country,  to  turn  their 
attention  to  peace  in  their  hearts.  I  wanted  them  to 
embrace  that  religion  which  is  preached  by  the  white 
teachers.  We  will  never  be  happy  until  we  are  Chris- 
tians. This,  I  say,  was  the  real  object  which  I  pursued 
all  summer.  I  rejoiced  in  it,  for  it  is  good ;  and  because 
I  rejoiced  in  it,  no  trouble  was  too  great  for  me,  no 


lu 


' 


!i' 


416 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


^' 


hardships  were  too  severe.  But  now,  scarcely  is  peace 
concluded  and  our  country  delivered  from  danger — be- 
fore ever  I  come  back  to  my  own  fire — I  hear  that  my 
people  will  not  in  all  eternity  accept  the  Word  of  God. 
This  grieves  me.  All  my  tro:ib''\  mxiety,  and  labors 
have  been  in  vain  !" 
£;'  ,  A  big  sob  shook  the  speaker's  frame.  He  could  say 
jiA*^      Jj  no  more,  but  wept  aloud.     The  Christian  deputies  wept 


■  v:. 


/<■ 


^ 


\ 


with  him.     Strange  sight!     A  national  assembly  of  the 


Delawares  awed  into  painful  silence  by  the  praises  of 

jthe  Gospel  from  a  heathen's  mouth,  and  he  the  hero 

of  tlje  Lenui-Lenape,  a  man  of  war  and  blood,  shedulng 

.tears  of  penitence  before  them  all,  and  a  baud  of  their 

I  great  men,  baptized   and  now  men  of  God,  mingling 

their  tears  with  his.     It  was  an   epoch   iii    Delaware 

jhistory. 

As  soon  as  "White  Eyes  had  composea   n'  uself,  he 

,  threw  the  confiscated  belt  at  the  feet  of  Netawatwes  and 

'  \said:  "Because  you  sent  this  belt,  I  resign  my  coun- 

jcilorship."     "Wrapping  his  blanket  around  him,  he  im- 

jmediately  left  the  Council  House,  followed  by  Glikkikan 

land  Echpalawehund,  to  whom  he  beckoned  as  he  went 

lout.     In  a  few  minutes  the  two  latter  returned,  bearing 

a  string  of  wampum,  which  they  formally  presented. 

"  Koquethagachton  bids  us  say,"  they  added,  turning  to 

the  old  chief,  "Look  for  another  councilor  to  fill  my 

place.     I  renounce  all  further  connection  with  you  !" 

The  assembly  was  confounded.  "White  Eyes'  services 
were  indispensable.  "Without  him  the  Delawares  would 
be  without  their  right  aim.    Hence  they  made  every 


■F 


'■■    I 


DAVID  ZEISBERQER. 


417 


effort  to  conciliate  him,  and  entreated  the  Christian 
deputies  to  act  as  mediators,  Netawatvves  sending  him  a 
string  by  their  hands,  with  an  humble  apology,  begging 
him  to  resume  his  seat  in  the  Council.  "  This  is  satis- 
factory as  far  as  it  goes,"  said  the  irate  councilor;  "but 
I  intend  to  teach  Netawatwes  a  lesson.  If  he  under- 
stands it,  well ;  if  he  does  not  understand  it,  let  him  not 
remain  chief  any  longer."  Declining  the  string,  he 
therefore  returned  this  answer:  "As  regards  me  per- 
sonally, your  words  are  acceptable.  That  you  usurped 
my  authority,  that  you  spoke  evil  of  me  and  reviled  me 
among  my  people  and  among  the  Shawanese,  I  will  for- 
give and  forget.  But  that  you  said  that  you  and  my 
people  would  not,  in  all  eternity,  receive  the  Word 
of  God,  I  will  not  forget ;  because  of  these  words  the 
wound  in  my  heart  is  incurable,  unless  you  take  them 
back." 

This  answer,  as  he  told  Glikkikan  to  explain  to  the\ 
chief,  referred  to  Zeisberger's  plan  of  a  national  recog-/ 
nition.  If  the  Christ;  m  Indians  and  their  teachers  were  > 
made  a  part  of  the  Delaware  nation,  and  if  religious*! 
liberty  were  granted,  he  would  resume  his  seat  in  the  1 
Council — not  otherwise.  ■ 

Soon  after  this.  White  Eyes  came  to  Schonbrunn  to 
visit  Zeisberger.     He  informed  him  of  his  ultimatum 
with  Netawatwes.     He  believed  that  the  chief  would 
accept  it;  but  if  not,  he  would  desert  him  and  live  at  ( 
Schonbrunn.     This  would  be  equivalent  to  a  deposition  ( 
of  Netawatwes.     He  added  that,  in  his  judgment,  the  ' 
Delaware  country  ought  to  be  divided  between  thej 

27 


418 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OP 


P  1 1 


■:^r-F 


Christian  Indians  and  the  rest;  and  that,  in  order  to 
give  the  former  more  room,  he  intended  to  propose  the 
evacuation  of  Gekelemukpechiink  and  the  building  of 
a  new  capital  farther  down  the  river. 

With  regard  to  his  own  religious  views,  he  said  that 

f  he  sincerely  believed  the  Gospel,  desired  to  be  a  Chris- 

Itian,  and  hoped  that  God  would  accept  him.     He  was 

Idebating  the  question  in  his  own  mind  whether  ho  ought 

>iot  at  once  to  move  to  Schonbrunn.    Zeisberger  advised 

niim  not  to  do  this,  urging  the  assistance  which  he  could 

render  the  Mission  by  remaining  at  the  capital.     After 

Christianity  should  have  been  legalized  in  the  country, 

'he  should  ioin  the  Mission. 

'  Acknowledging  the  force  of  this  argument,  "White 
Eyes  proceeded  to  unfold  his  other  plans,  which  proved 
to  be  in  entire  harmony  with  those  of  Zeisberger. 
Christianity  having  been  made  the  national  religion,  he 
proposed  to  go  to  England,  accompanied  by  John  Mon- 
tour, and  visit  the  King.  Lord  Dunmore  had  promised 
him  every  assistance.  He  would  lay  before  the  King 
the  whole  question  at  issue  between  the  Delawares  and 
white  people,  tell  him  of  the  westward  progress  of  the 
latter,  and  induce  him  to  guarantee  to  the  former  the 
.country  they  then  possessed,  which  should  be  the  home 
of  the  Lenni-Lenape  to  all  generations — a  land  respected 
fby  the  whites,  whereon  no  blood  should  be  shed.  The 
^whites  might  settle  beyond  it,  but  within  its  confines 
Delawares  only  should  dwell ;  not  in  savage  wildness, 
but  as  a  civilized  and  Christian  people.  And  to  bring 
about  this  result  should  be  the  work  of  the  Mission. 


hr.'  i 


..t  L 


'C\   '\v\-^^ 


i 


APWMI   I  jM.VII.    Jill 


;i.  i 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


419 


White  Eyes  deserved^  his  fame  as  a  cqungelor.  This 
was  a  statesman's  plan.  Pontiac  had  attempted,  by 
deeds  of  cruelty  and  streams  of  blood,  to  secure  for  the 
aborigines  their  Western  domain.  White  Eyes  hoped, 
by  tokens  of  peace  and  manly  negotiations,  to  keep  for 
his  nation  a  home.  Pontiac  gloried  in  barbarism :  the 
Indian  was  to  remain  a  warrior  and  hunter.  White 
Eyes  deemed  the  plow  a  blessing,  and  every  implement 
of  civilization  a  good:  his. countrymen  were  to  wor- 
ship the  true  God  and  Jesus  Christ  His  Son. 

But  however  noble  his  thoughts — however  philan- 
thropic the   corresponding  plans  of  the   missionary — 
their  aspirations  were  dreams.    Neither  of  them  could 
anticipate  the  resistless  westward  march  of  that  race 
which  now  possesses  this  Continent.     In  point  of  popu- 
lation and  power,  Ohio  has  grown  to  be  the  third  State 
of  the  Federal  Union.     Gekelemukpechiiuk's  council-k  ^  '" 
fire  is  extinguished ;   a^  railroad  traverses  the  site  of)    "7"^ 
the  town.     Schbubrunn  has  passed  away.     The   spot^         % 
where  stood  its  chapel,  to  which  hundreds  of  natives^..' \      i,  ^ 
used  to  flock,  is  an  object  of  the  antiquary's  explora-  •.  *!,> 

tions.  And  along  the  Tuscarawas  and  the  Walhonding,  V, «. 
the  Muskingum,  flockhocking,  and  Scioto,  not  a  solitary, 
Indian  lodge  remains ;  from  the  waters  of  Lake  Erie  to) 
the  bluflTs  of  the  "  Beautiful  River,"  not  a  remnant  of) 
the  Lenni-Lenape  can  be  found.  A  great  and  teeming i 
commonwealth  of  Americans  is  in  the  place  of  that( 
home  which  White  Eyes  would  have  given  to  hisj 
people.    Such  was  the  will  of  God. 

Amid  all  the  perils  of  Dunmore's  War,  and  the  sub- 


"•<:.. 


fffipfl 


f; 


!i  I' 


420 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


sequent  difficulties  with  the  Delawares,  the  spiritual 
state  of  the  converts  continued  encouraging.  Religion 
grew  and  bore  fruits.     Many  were  baptized ;  others  for- 

isook  the  heathens  and  built  huts  in  the  Christian  towns. 

/Among  these  latter  was  a  family  of  Mingoes,  belonging 
to  the  Onondaga  nation,  and  to  that  clan  into  which 
Zeisberger  had  been  adopted.  They  became  zealous 
members  of  the  Church. 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


421 


CHAPTER    XXY. 

RELIGIOUS  LIBERTY  IN  THE  DELAWARE  NATION,  AND  GREAT 
PROSPERITY  OF  THE  MISSION.— 1775. 


The  American  Revolution. — Zeisberger's  views  and  feelings. — Great 
prosperity  of  the  Mission. — Religious  liberty. — The  edict  of  the 
Delaware  Council. — Netawatwes  espouses  the  cause  of  Christianity. 
— General  agitation  among  the  Delawares  upon  the  subject  of  the 
Christian  religion. —  The  Conner  family  joins  the  Mission. — 
Christian  deputies  and  the  Council. — Goschachgiink,  the  new 
capital,  founded. — The  converts  present  their  own  belts  of  wam- 
pum for  a  national  embassy  to  the  Wyandots. — White  Eyes  relin- 
quishes his  projected  visit  to  England. — Lord  Dunmore's  motives  in 
furthering  it. — Death  of  John  Papunhank. — Zeisberger  visits  Beth- 
lehem.— A  Delaware  spelling-book. — A  third  Christian  town  spoken 
of. — Progress  of  the  Revolution. — The  status  of  the  Indians. — 
Congress  resolves  to  secure  their  neutrality. — Three  Indian  depart- 
ments organized. — The  cruel  and  dishonorable  policy  of  Great 
Britain. — Treaty  at  Pittsburg. — White  Eyes  and  the  Senecas. — His 
bold  speech. — Colonel  Gibson  visits  Schonbrunn  with  the  "  Congress 
Belt."— White  Eyes'  mysterious  journey  to  Philadelphia. 

The  American  Revolution  was  approaching.  Through- 
out the  Colonies,  and  especially  in  New  England,  there 
prevailed  that  heavy  stillness  which  precedes  the  storm. 

Of  this  crisis  Zeisberger  heard  from  traders  who 
visited  Schonbrunn  toward  the  end  of  January  (1775). 
Devoted  to  the  cause  of  the  Indians,  separated  from  the 
settlements,  the  wilderness  his  home,  he  had  paid  no 
attention  to  the  political  questions  of  the  day,  and  his 
prayer  to  God  now  was  that  He  would  overrule  the 
conflict  to  the  spread  of  the  Gospel  in  the  West,  and 
the  establishm'ut  of  His  glorious  kingdom.    Nor  did 


422 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


\f] 


\;i 


^ 


he  allow  himself  to  be  troubled.     Matters  of  immediate 

interest  occupied  his  mind.     A  season  of  unparalleled 

prosperity  began  in  the  Mission.     The  Grand  Council 

of  the  Dclawares  decreed  religious  liberty,  and  adopted 

all  his  other  suggestions,  together  with  those  of  White 

Eyes. 

f    Tlie  edict-,of  the  G^and  Council  desejxesjtojje^e- 

' corded:  1.  Liberty  is  given  to  the  Christian  religion, 
which  the  Council  advises  the  entire  nation  to  adopt. 
2.  The  Christian  Indians  and  their  teachers  are  on  an 
absolute   equality  with  other  Delawares,  all  of   them 

I  together  constituting  one  people,  3.  The  national  ter- 
ritory is  alike  the  property  of  the  Christian  Indians 
and  of  the  native  Delawares.  4.  Converts  only,  and 
no  other  Indians,  shall  settle  near  the  Christian  towns; 
such  as  are  not  converts,  but  are  now  living  near  such 
towns,  shall  move  away.  5.  In  order  to  give  more 
room  to  the  Christian   Indians,  GekelemukpechUnk  is 

jto  be  abandoned,  and  a  new  capital   founded  farther 

fdown  the  river.     6.  The  Christian  Indians  are  invited 

jto  build  a  third  town. 

Netawatwes  himself  came  to  Gnadenhutten,  accom- 
panied by  White  Eyes,  to  whom  he  was  reconciled, 
and  by  numerous  other  councilors,  in  order  to  promul- 
gate this  edict.  He  had  laid  aside  his  indecision,  and 
boldly  espoused  the  cause  of  truth.  Of  this  his  message 
to  Packanke  was  an  evidence.  "  You  and  I,"  he  said, 
"are  both  old.  How  long  we  may  live  we  know  not. 
Let  us  do  a  good  work  before  we  die.  Let  us  accept 
the  Word  of  God,  and  leave  it  to  our  children,  as  our 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


423 


ediate 

lleled 

ouncil 


last  will    and    testament."      That  he  was   sincere  his 
whole  subsequent  life  testified. 

The  Gospel  now  had  free  course  and  was  glorified. 
Many  still  remained  its  foes,  either  openly  or  in  secret ; 
but  the  Council  was  pledged  to  its  support,  and  the 
power  of  heathenism  broken.  Upon  this  outward 
prosperity  the  converts,  by  their  walk  and  conver- 
sation, set  a  crown  fragrant  as  the  evergreens  of  their 
valley.  Not  a  few  heathens  believed  and  were  bap- 
tized. From  every  side,  and  even  from  >he  hunting- 
grounds  of  other  tribes,  visitors  flocked  to  their  towns. 
The  chapel  at  Schonbrunn  could  hold  five  hundred 
persons,  and  yet  it  was  often  too  small  to  accommodate 
the  worshipers.  Religion,  as  taught  by  the  mission-N 
aries,  became  a  subject  of  general  inquiry  among  the 
Delawares,  so  that  Netawatwes  expected  to  see  them  all 
converted  within  five  or  six  years;  and  the  Christian- 
settlements  were  famed  in  the  entire  West,  even  iiij 
remote  regions  of  tlie  Northwest.  To  this  a  company 
of  traders  bore  witness,  who  came  to  see  Schonbrunn 
They  had  heard  so  much  of  its  prosperity,  in  every  part 
of  the  wilderness,  that  they  had  gone  many  miles  out 
of  their  road  to  gratify  their  curiosity. 

And,  indeed,  these  villages  on  the  Tuscarawas  de- 
served their  reputation.  In  them  the  system  which 
Zeisberger  pursued  to  reclaim  the  savagos,  and  teach 
them  the  ways  of  civilization,  reached  its  highest  state 
of  development.  Such  settlements  were  remarkable 
not  merely  as  towns,  built  with  surprising  regularity 
and    neatness,    but    also    as     communities    governed, 


[F. 


f^^-M.  >    iJ  S 


i    <1 


"A  ^ 


mr^ 


f^^v^.  •'"■■ 


f  .    '   c 


'_!. 


'  i'\'l,l4\^    ^-f  .f .'  ^ 


424 


L/f"A^  AND   TIMES  OF 


tVi  i 


(without  the  aid  of  Colonial  magistrates,  by  a  complete 
/code  of  laws.  In  order  to  administer  these,  a  council 
was  set  over  each  village,  consisting  of  the  missionaries 
rand  national  assistants,  or  "helpers,"  as  they  were 
/called.  In  such  a  council  the  influence  of  the  white 
teachers,  properly  and  necessarily,  continued  supreme; 
but  a  native  element  was,  at  the  same  time,  brought 
out  that  reconciled  personal  liberty,  which  the  Indian 
prizes  so  highly,  with  restrictions  tending  to  the 
common  good.  Ou  occasions  of  extraordinary  import- 
ance, such  as  the  removal  of  the  Mission  to  a  new 
locality,  the  decision  was  invariably  left  to  a  vote  of 
the  people.     But,  from  one  point  of  view,  perhaps  the 

imost  remarkable  feature  of  these  towns  will  appear 
in  this,  that  they  were  centers  of  agriculture  and  not 
a  collection  of  hunting-lodges.  The  chase  was  by  no 
means  abandoned,  but  it  had  become  a  secondary 
object.  To  raise  grain,  cattle,  and  poultry  formed 
the  principal  employment  of  the  converts.  Their 
plantations  covered  hundreds  of  acres  along  the  rich 
bottoms  of  the  valley ;  herds,  more  numerous  than  the 
West  had  ever  seen,  roamed  through  the  forests  or 
were  pastured  in  their  meadows;  while  few  farm-yards 
of  Pennsylvania  had  fowls  in  greater  variety.  Men  of 
judgment  and  distinction,  coming  from  the  Eastern 
Colonies,  were  often  filled  with  astonishment  when  they 
here  beheld  Indians  not  only  civilized,  but  changed  in 
all  their  habits  and  growing  rich.* 

I  The  testimony  of  Colonel  George  Morgan,  Indian  Agent  for  the 
Western  District,  of  whom  more  will  be  said  in  another  connection, 


DAVID  ZEISBERQER. 


425 


Among  those  who  joined  the  Mission  about  this  time 
was  a  family  of  white  persons.     Richard    Conner,   a'; 
native  of  Maryland,  ranging  through  the  Indian  country, 
met  and  married  a  captive  white  girl  among  the  Shaw- 
auese.     They  remained  with  this  tribe  until  the  close 
of  Dunmore's  "War,  when  they  were  delivered  at  Camp 
Charlotte,  according  to  the  stipulations  of  the  treaty, 
and  settled   at  Pittsburg.      But  their   sou    had  been' 
kept  back,  and  they  now  came  to  Schonbrunn,  on  their 
way  to  redeem  him.    Mrs.  Conner  stayed  at  the  Mission 
while  her  husband  proceeded  to  the  Shawanese.     Its 
influences  captivated  her.      She    saw  Indian    life,  for 
which  she  had  a  strong  predilection,  developing  itself 
in  a  Christian  form ;  and  recognized  the  Gospel  as  that 
principle  which  satisfies  the  soul.     Her  husband,  who  1 
returned  without  their  son,  or  any  information  concern- 1 
ing  him,  being  similarly  impressed,  they  applied  fori 
reception  into  the  Indian  Church.     They  said  that  they 


^ir 


and  whose  insight  into  the  character  of  the  natives  is  well  known,    J^ 
may  prove  interesting.     He  stated,  some  years  later,  during  the  Revo-1 
lutionary  War,  according  to  Heckewelder,  in  his  Report  of  the  Indian!^      ^ 
Misnon  to  the  Society  for  Propagating  the  Gospel  (MS.  B.  A.),  "thatS 
he  WHS  astonished  at  what  ho  had  seen  in  our  towns.     That  the  im-( 
provements  of  the  Indians  bespoke  their  industry;  and  that  the  clean- 1         , 
liness,  order,  and  regularity  which  were  everywhere  observable,  added  l 
to  their  devotion,  gave  them  a  claim  to  be  ranked  among  the  civilized  ,' 
part  of  mankind.     That  they  deserved  to  be  set  up  as  an  example  to  ) 
many  of  the  whites.     That  to  him  it  was  now  evident  that  the  Indians,  ) 
when  living  by   themselves  and   out  of  connection   with   the   white  (   ,^ 
people,  could  easily  be  brought  to  a  state  of  civilization  and  become} /' 
good  citizens  of  the  United  States;  and  that  he  considered  our  mode'    ''*! 
the  surest,  if  not  the  only  successful  method,  of  training  converts  who 
had  been  brought  from  paganism,  idleness,  and  debauchery  to  a  state 


'■I 


W 


of  Christianity." 


s 


^t^  <ii:.£^S..<: 


'^til 


w 


{FW^^TT 


426 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


/ 


would  not  expect  any  privilec^cs  other  than  those  enjoyed 
by  native  members,  but  would  submit  to  all  the  municipal 
regulations  of  the  town.     Zcisbcrger  hesitated  to  grant 
theii  request,  fearing  that  the  incorporation  of  a  white 
[family  with  the  Mission  would  awaken  mistrust  among 
the  Delawares  and  affect  its  n         -acquired  status.     At 
last,  however,  ho  yielded  to  l».^  urgency  of  the  appli- 
cants.    They  built  themselves  a  house  at  Schonbrunii, 
.and,  after  a  probation  of  an  entire  year,  were  admitted 
into  the  full  communion  of  the  Church  (Easter,  1776), 
.vhereof  they  remained  consistent  and  worthy  members. 
^     In  accordance  with  Indian  usage,  the  formal  thanks 
(of  the  Mission  for  the  edict  passed  by  the  Grand  Council 
<were  now  delivered.     At  the  same  time,  the  converts 
jsent  their  quota  of  belts  for  a  grand  national  deputation 
to  the  Wyandots  in  acknowledgment  of  the  land  which 
Jthey  had  ceded  to  the  Delawares.     This  embassy  was  a 
jlong-neglected  duty.     Thejbdts  of  the  .Christian  Jndians 
I  were  half  a  fathom  long,  without  devices,  except  a _white 
1  cross  at  one  end  and  a  band  through  the  midd]e.     They 
jhad  been   made   expressly  for  the  occasion.     From   a 
""  native  point  of  view,  the  converts  thus  assumed  an  ira- 
,  portant  position.     Their  belts  proclaimed  their  national 

1  equality  with  the  Delawares,  and  yet  their  religious 
distinction  from  them. 
Netawatwes  was  no  longer  living  at  Gekelemuk- 
pechiink.  He  had  gone,  with  the  most  of  hie  tribe, 
to  build  a  new  capital,  which  received  the  name  of 
Goschachgiink,  at  the  junction  of  the  Tuscarawas  and 
"VValhonding.     It  was  laid  out  in  the  form  of  a  cross, 


DAVID   ZEISDERGER. 


427 


enjoyed 
nnicipal 
to  grant 
a  white 
nmonir 
us.     At 
0  appli- 
nbrunn, 
Lclniittetl 
r,  177G), 
embers. 
I  thanks 
Council 
converts 
pntatiou 
id  which 
sy  was  a 
.^ndians 
,a_white 
'    They 
From  a 
I  an  ira- 
national 
eligious 

slemuk- 
8  tribe, 
ame  of 
vns  and 
1  cross, 


in  cxaf^'t  imitation  of  Schlinbrunn.'     There  the  council 
with  the  Christian  deputies  was  held. 

On  their  way  back,  they  met  White  Eyes,  at  Gekele-"/ 
niukpochiink.  lie  had  returned  from  Pittsburg,  and, 
by  the  advice  of  Lord  Dunmore,  given  up  his  projected  i 
visit  to  England,  on  account  of  the  unsettled  state  of 
Colonial  aiiairs.  The  Earl  regretted  this  necessity,  for. 
he  had  really  fallen  in  with  his  plans.  Connolly  him- 
self was  to  have  accompanied  him  and  urged  his  suit 
at  court.  But  self-aggrandizement  was  Dunmore's 
motive,  and  not  philanthropy.  The  Delawuro  country 
would  form  a  convenient  barrier  to  Pennsylvania,  and 
keep  her  within  her  proper  limits,  while  all  around  it, 
the  noble  land-jobber  might  give  free  play  to  his  specu- 
lations.^ 

After  having  closed  the  eyes  of  his  tried  assistant,,   .-> 
John  Pg^punliank,  once  the  noto.rio.U8_prophet  of  thjgf  '    ■'"^^■'-■■^'i.  c/ 


•'t 


Susquehanna  country — who  died  (May  15,  1775)  at  the 
age  of  seventy  years — Zeisberger  spent  a  part  of  the 
summer  at  Bethlehem,  in  conference  with  the  Board 
Among  other  important  resolutions  which  were  adopted, 
was  the  issuing  of  a  Delaware  Reading-  and  Spelling- 
Book.  On  his  return  to  the  Mission  (August  10, 1775), 
the  Council  proposed  to  him  to  build  a  third  town,  in 
order  to  bring  the  Gospel  to  that  part  of  the  nation 
which  yet  remained  in  heathenism,  and  of  which  John 


'  Goschftchgiink  occupied  the  site  of  the  lower  streets  of  the  present 
Coihocton,  stretching  along  the  river  bank. 

'  Letter  from  Arthur  St.  Clair  to  Joseph  Shippen.  Pcnn.  Archives, 
iv.  637. 


^^• 


ii.(^ 


«/., 

m 


428 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


V 


I 
\ 


i 


i 


Killbuck  was  the  implacable  head.  Negotiations  upon 
this  subject  were,  however,  broken  off  by  a  treaty,  held 
at  Pittsburg,  between  the  Western  Inditins  and  Com- 
missioners of  the  American  Congress. 

The  Revolution  was  advancing  with  rapid  strides. 
"While  Zeisberger  and  his  assistants  were  sitting  in  the 
Mission  House  of  Schbnbrunn,  on  the  nineteenth  of 
April,  examining  applicants  for  church-membership, 
the  brave  sons  of  Massachusetts  fought  the  battle  of 
Lexington.  Soon  after,  Ethan^^Allan^and  Jhis^^reen 
Mountain  Boys  surprised  Ticonderoga,  while  Crown 
Point  fell  intolEe  hands  of  Seth  Warner.  The  struggle 
on  Bunker  Hill  kindled  a  general  enthusiasm.  There 
existed,  as  yet,  no  formal  union  of  the  Colonies,  but 
their  Congress,  which  had  hastened  to  reassemble, 
began  to  exercise  all  the  functions  of  a  government, 
and  was  cheerfully  sustained  by  the  people. 

Next  to  the  appointment  of  George  Washington  as 
commander-in-chief,  and  the  regulation  of  the  Conti- 
nental finances,  the  most  important  subject  which  en- 
gaged the  notice  of  Congress  was  the  status  of  the 
Indians,  whose  nev.trality  must,  if  possible,  be  secured. 

/Three  Indian  departments  were  organized.  (Jjilyi^II^i 
I  and_  treaties    held  with  the  various   tribes.     To    the 

^  first  department  belonged  the  Six  Nations  and  those 
of  the  North  and  East;  to  the  second,  the  Western 
tribes;   and  to  the  third,  all  the  aborigines  south  of 

i^Kentucky. 

It  was  high  time  to  adopt  sue]  measures.  Not  con- 
tent with  honorable  warfare,  Great  Britain  had  inaugu- 


i  Ml 


:iii    ■ 


%'■ 


DAVID  ZEISBERQER. 


429 


ons  upon 
-aty,  held 
nd  Corn- 
strides. 
igin  the 
eenth  of 
ribership, 
battle  of 
is^J^reeu 
e^Crown 
struggle 
.     There 
uies,  but 
issemble, 
ernment, 

ngton  as 
le  Conti- 
hich  en- 
3  of  the 
secured. 

To  the 
id  those 
V^^estern 
outh  of 

l^ot  con- 
inaugu- 


rated a  policy  of  blood  and  cruelty  against  which  the 
good  of  her  own  nation  protested.  In  the  previous 
year,  the  Governor  of  Quebec  had  been  empowered 
to  raise  Indian  levies  and  march  them  "into  any  of 
the  plantations  of  America;"*  and,  recently,  arms  had 
been  forwarded  to  Dunmore  with  which  to  equip  the 
savages;  while  the  King  himself  had  sent  instruc- 
tions, in  his  own  name,  to  the  Canadian  agent  to  per- 
suade "  his  faithful  allies,  the  Six  Nations,"  to  take  up 
the  hatchet  against  the  rebels.  Through  the  baneful 
efforts  of  Colonel  Guy  Johnson,  the  son-in-law  and  suc- 
cessor of  Sir  "William  Johnson,  who  had  died  suddenly 
in  June  of  1774,  this  policy  was,  in  part,  successful,  and, 
after  the  battle  of  Lexington,  alJ_Jhe^rq3uois^_exce£t 
the  Queidas  and  Tuscaroras,  espoused  the  British  cause. 
The  treaty  at  Pittsburg  took  place  in  October.  On 
the  part  of  Congress  appeared  as  commissioners  Colo- 
nels Walker  and  George  Clymer;  on  the  part  of  the 
Western  tribes,  a  large  body  of  Delawares — including 
representatives  of  the  Christian  towns* — some  Shawa- 
nese,  and  a  few  Senecas.  The  commissioners  made 
known  the  existing  war  between  the  Colonies  and  the 
mother  country,  showed  that  the  questions  in  dispute 
did  not  afiect  the  interests  of  the  natives,  and  exhorted 
them  to  observe  a  btrict  neutrality.  To  this  the  Dela- 
wares  pledged  themselves,  in   spite  of  the  opposition 


»  Baucroft's  Hist.  U.  S.,  vii.  118. 

*  The  Christian  deputies  were  Isaac  Glikkikan,  Nathaniel,  and  Wil- 
liam. 


f.  '    > ' 


^ 


{'-^jj^ 


.^ 


\f^C  *»^ 


430 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


of  the   Senecas,  who  tried  in  every  possible  way  to 

interfere  with  the  negotiations. 

i  "White  Eyes  took  a  prominent  part  in  this  treaty, 
/and  openly  avowed  that  his  people  had  embraced  Chris- 
Itianity.  His  manly  course  and  evident  sympathy 
I  with  the  Americans  gave  ofiense  to  the  Senecas,  who 
j  haughtily  reminded  him  that  the  Delawares  were  women. 


fr, 


Women!"  was  his  disdainful  reply.    "Yes,  you  say 


A 


\^ 


/ 


that  you  conquered  me,  that  you  cut  off  my  legs,  put  a 

1  petticoat  en  me,  and  gave  me  a  hoe  and  corn-pounder  in 

\  my  hands,  saying,  '  Now,  woman,  your  business  hence- 

i  forward  shall  be  to  plant,  hoe,  and  pound  corn  for  us 

who  are  men  and  warriors!'    Look  at  my  legs.     If,  as 

i  you  assert,  you  cut  them  off,  they  have  grown  again 

\  to  their  proper  size.      The  petticoat  I   have   thrown 

\  away,  and  have  put  on  my  own  dress;  the  corn-hoe  and 

\  pounder  I  have  exchanged  for  these  iire-arms;  and  I 

i  declare  that  I  am  a  man.     Yes,  all  the  country  ou  the 

\  other  side  of  that  river" — waving  his  hand  in  the  direc- 

\  tion  of  the  Alleghany — "is  mine!"^ 

♦s.     Soon  after    the    treaty,  Colonel    John    Gibson,  the 

;  /"Western  agent  of  Virginia,  and   several  other  Ameri- 

jeans,  undertook  a  tour  through  the  Indian  country, 

J  bearing  to  its  tribes  t^^reat^'jCongress  BeU^_dx^leet 

j  long  and  more  than  half  a  foot  wide,  as  an  emblem  of 

the   neutral   friendship    to  which    the   Delawares  had 

agreed.     They  spent  some  time  at  Schbnbrunn,  where 

a  baptism,  which  they  witnessed,  so  deeply  impressed 


'  Heckewelder's  Narrative  of  tho  Indian  Mission,  pp.  140,  141. 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


431 


their  hearts  that  they  sat  far  into  the  night  by  Zeis- 
berger's  fire,  conversing  with    him   upon    the  subject 
of  personal   religion.     Richard    Conner    accompanied 
them  to  the  Shawanese  territory,  and  returned,  in  the  - 
following  spring,  with  his  little  sou,  whom  he  had  ut  last , 
succeeded  in  ransoming. 

White  Eyes  did  not  go  back  to  Goschachgiink  from^ 
Pittsburg,  but  traveled  alone  to  Philadelphia,  without  [ 
informing  any  one  of  his  purpose.  Ere  long,  however,  ,'' 
a  strange  rumor  reached  Schonbrunu  to  the  effect  that  . 
he  was  negotiating  with  Congress  for  missionaries  of  a  | 
church  other  th;in  the  Moravian. 


f 


432 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


w 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

LICHTBNAU  FOUNDED  ON  THE  MUSKINGUM.— 1776. 

Prosperity  of  Schonbrunn  and  Gnadenhutten. — Netawatwes  desires  a 
third  town  to  be  built  near  to  the  capital. — Its  site. — A  part  of  the 
heathen  Delawares  secede  from  the  nation. — Lichtenau  laid  out  and 
built. — The  first  Sunday  thereat. — New  converts  from  the  families  of 
the  chiefs. — Netawatwes  himself  a  convert. — White  Eyes  negotiates 
with  Congress  for  missionaries  and  teachers  other  than  Moravians. — 
The  reply  of  Congress  laid  before  the  Delaware  Council. — Zeisberger 
opposes  the  project. — Ambition  its  origin. — Colonel  George  Morgan 
asks  for  a  decision. — The  Delawares  abide  by  the  Moravian  Church. — 
The  first  communion  at  Lichtenau. — Zeisberger 's  Delaware  Spelling- 
Book. 

/    The  year  1776,  which  formed  an  epoch  in  our  national 

j  history,  became  illustrious  in  the  history  of  the  Indian 

[Mission  on  account  of  its  rapid  growth.     In  the  first 

five  weeks  eighteen  baptisms  occurred  at  Schonbrunn; 

others  took  place  at  Gnadenhutten ;  a  general  revival 

began  among  the  children ;  and  the  project  to  build  a 

third  town  was  carried  out.     Netawatwes  wished  this 

settlement  to  be  near  to  his  capital.    He  argued  that 

the  evil  consequences  which  had  formerly  grown  out  of 

the  proximity  of  heathen  villages  were  not  any  more  to 

be  expected,  the  nation  having  resolved  to  embrace  the 

Gospel;   that  every  opportunity  must   be   afibrded  his 

people  to  hear  the  "Word  of  God;  and  that  the  influence 

^of  the  new  enterprise  ought  to  be  felt  at  Goschachgiink. 

I  He  confessed  that  he  expected  to  lean  upon  Zeisberger 

and  the  converts  in  the  administration  of  national  aflair^, 


l: 


DAVID  ZEISBERQER. 


433 


and  that  he  had  already  selected  a  site  which  would 
render  this  feasible.  "If  the  Brethren,"  said  he,  "will 
live  near  me,  I  will  be  strong.  They  will  make  me 
strong  against  the  disobedient." 

Zeisberger  acknowledged  the  force  of  these  arguments, 
and  rode  out  to  view  the  spot.    It  was  well  chosen.    Two 
and  a  half  miles  below  GoschacbgUnk,  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  Muskingum,  a  broad  level  of  many  acres 
stretched  to  the  foot  of  the  hills,  with  an  almost  imper- 
ceptible ascent.     The  river-bank,  swelling  out  gently 
toward  the  stream  in  the  form  of  an  arc,  was  covered 
with    maples    and    stately    sycamores.      Materials    for 
building  abounded,  and  the  rich  soil  promised  abun- 
dant   crops.      Numerous    remains    showed    that    the 
primitive    aborigines    of    America    had    here    had  a 
home.     Zeisberger  was  delighted  with  the  place,  andj 
perceiving  the  great  change  going  on  in  the  hearts  of ; 
the  Delawares,  and  the  morning  of  a  new  era  dawn-[ 
ing  in  their  history,  he  gathered  them  around  him,  oni 
his  return  to  the  capital,  and  delivered  an  animated  ( 
discourse  upon  the  words,  "  The  glory  of  the  Lord  is  j 
risen  upon  thee,'" — setting  forth  that  the  day  of  salva-' 
tion  for  the  whole  people  was  at  hand. 

Alarmed  by  the  rapid  progress  of  the  Mission,\ 
and  the  increasing  influence  of  the  Christians,  some  f 
Mousey s.  undec-CaDtain  Pipe."  seceded  from  the  Dela 


'  Isaiah,  Ix.  1.  . 

2  Captain  Pipe,  or  Kogieschquanoheel,  was  the  principal  captain  of/ 
theWolf  Trite,  and  became  its  tribal  chief  after  the  death  of  Pack-j 
anke. 


28 


434 


LIFE  AND   TUIES  OF 


i\> 


Jti 


V 


W\ 


■■•^ 


^ware  nation,  and  formed  a  clan  of  their  own  on  the 
J  hunting-grounds  of  Lake  Erie.      As  a  reason  for  this 
f  step  they  did  not  assign   the   Christian   religion,  but 
White  Eyes'  speech    at  Pittsburg,  and   the   principles 
he  had  there  enunciated.     They  feared,  they  said,  the 
wrath    of  the    Iroquois,  which    he    had    unnecessarily 
provoked ;   and  they  would  not  stay  to  share  the  pun- 
ishment to  be   expected  from   that  powerful  League. 
But,  although  there  did  prevail  among   the   Monseys 
dissatisfaction  with   White   Eyes,  and   although   Pipe 
j^was    his    rival,   the  true   cause  of   the   secession   was 
J  hatred  of  the  Gospel.     Unable  to  prevent  its  suprem- 
I  acy,  afraid  to  persecute  it  openly,  they  fled  from  its 
1  sweet  promises  and  words  of  eternal  life. 

This  breach  among  the  Delawares  did  not,  however, 

prevent  the  new  enterprise.     On  the  twelfth  of  April, 

.at  the   head    of  eight  families,  numbering  thirty-five 

t  persons,  and  with  John  Heckewelder  as  his  assistant. 

j  Zeisberger  encamped  on  the  site  of  the  future  town, 

I  and,  toward  evening,  called  his  little  colony  together 

under  the  open   canopy  of  heaven   to  worship   God. 

I  The    next    morning    the    sturdy  strokes    of   the    axe 

began  to  ring  through  the  bottom,  and  with  a  great 

crash  tree  after  tree  fell  to  the  ground.     Indians  from 

Goschachgiink  stood  by,  looking  on   in  silence.      To 

these  the  converts  talked  of  Christ.     Here  was  Glik- 

kikan,  hewing  the  branches  from  a  prostrate  trunk  and 

at  the  same  time  magnifying  his  Saviour's  name ;  there 

stood  another,  resting  for  a  moment  from  his  work  and 

setting  forth  the  communion  of  saints  as  exemplified  in 


J 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


435 


the  towns  of  the  Mission.  Everywhere  mingled  in 
unison  the  energy  of  civilization  and  the  eloquence  of 
faith. 

Sunday  followed  upon  this   day  of  toil.      Xetawat-] 
wes,  with  almost  the  entire  population  of  the  capital,*' 
attended    religious    service.       On     the     river's    bank, 
beneath  the  gemmed  trees  ready  to  burst  into  verdure, 
gathered  the  congregation  of  Christian  and  of  pagan 
Indians.      Zeisbcrgcr   preached  on    the  words,   "  Thus 
it  is  written,  and  thus  it  behoved  Christ  to  suffer,  and 
to  rise  from  the  dead  the  third  day  :  and  that  repent- 
ance and  remission  of  sins  should  be  preached  in  His 
name   among    all   nations,   beginning  at  Jerusalem."' 
Afterward  fires  were   lighted,  around  which  the  con-) 
verts   continued   to   instruct   their   countrymen   in  ther 
way  of  life,  until  the  shades  of  evening  fell. 

The  new  town^j^^rogressed  rapidly.  Its  Missioa\ 
House  served,  at  first,  as  the  place  of  worship ;  the! 
other  buildings  formed  one  street,  running  parallel  to 
the  river;  and,  midway  between  its  northern  and 
southern     extremities,     a     chapel     was     subsequently 

erected.       This    town  .recelYfid^the ftHS2«*£l-JilL^^" 

tejnaij.'' 


/ 


1  Luke,  xxiv.  46  and  47. 

*  That  is,  a  ^^ Pasture  of  Lifjhf' — a  green  pasture  illumined  by  the 
light  of  the  Gospel.  This  is  the  explanation  given  in  the  Bethlehem 
Diary  of  1776.  Lichtenuu  was  situated  on  what  are  now  (1863)  the  farms 
of  Messrs.  Samuel  Moore  and  Samuel  Forker,  in  Tuscarawas  Township, 
Coshocton  County,  Ohio.  These  two  farms  are  separated  by  a  long 
lane  extending  from  the  river  to  the  eastern  hills.  The  town  begin- 
ning near  the  residence  of  Mr.  Moore — the  church  probably  stood  in 
his  present  yard — stretched  across  the  lane  to  the  land  of  Mr.  Porker. 


436 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


A  grandson  of  Netawatwoa  and  his  family  of  six  eliil- 

Idren  wore   the  first  new  converts  who  settled  there;' 

next  came  a  son  of  the  old  chief;  then  arrived  Welu- 

pachtschiechen,  or  Captain  Johnny,  the  principal  chief 

of  the  Turkey  Tribe,  from  Assiiniink,^  together  with  his 

own  and  ten  other  families  ;  while  Gelolemend,  or  John 

Kilibuck,  Jr.,  Netawatwes'  destined  successor,  selected 

a  lot  on  which  to  build  at  a  future  time.     Owing  to  his 

position  in  the  Council  he  could  not  leave  the  capital 

for  the  present.     Netawatwes  himself  visited  Lichtenau 

I  nearly  every  day,  and  became  a  convert,  although  he 

fwas  not  baptized. 


After  a   silence   of  more   than   half  a 


year. 


White 


Eyes  sent  word  to  the  old  chief,  from  Philadelphia,  that 


and,  after  all  the  converts  had  boon  concentrated  at  Lichtenau,  was 
built  up  for  a  considerable  distance  ujion  his  farm.  On  the  18th  of 
Juno,  18G.J,  my  friend,  Jacob  Blickensdcrfer,  Esq.,  of  Tuscarawa^; 
County,  and  I  discovered  tliis  site,  and  idcntiliod  it  as  that  of  Lich- 
tenau by  numerous  relics  and  the  exact  correspondence  of  former  land- 
marks, as  described  to  us  by  IMr.  Moore,  with  the  topograj)hy  set  forth 
in  Zeisberger's  manuscripts.  We  were  greatly  aided  in  our  explora- 
tions by  Mr.  David  Johnson,  of  Coshocton.  The  remains  that  date 
from  the  prehistoric  times  of  the  aborigines  arc  a  circle  of  five  acres, 
quite  near  to  tlio  site  of  Lichtenau,  and  a  mound,  three  quarters  of  a 
nulftfartUcr  down  the  river. 

'  His  wife,  when  a  child  of  twelve  years,  had  been  baptized  (Jan.  7, 
1758)  in  the  church  at  Bethlehem,  and  named  Hannah,  but  afterward, 
through  the  influence  of  her  mother,  relapsed  into  heathenism. 

2  A  town  of  the  Turkey  Tribe,  on  the  Hoekhocking,  near  the  Shawa- 
nese  towns.  Captain  Johnny's  wife  was  a  white  woman  from  Virginia, 
'captured  (1757)  in  the  French  and  Indian  War.  After  attending  the 
first  religious  service  at  Lichtenau,  she  exclaimed:  "Oh,  how  glad  I 
am  that  I  am  here,  and,  after  nineteen  years,  can  again  listen  to  the 
Word  of  Godl  I  have  often  wished  to  live  with  you,  and  now  God  has 
granted  the  desire  of  my  heart.  When  I  awoke  this  morning,  I  felt 
happier  than  I  ever  remember  to  have  felt  before," 


^ 

.//.< 


six  ehil- 
there;' 
d  Welii- 
al  chief 
vvitli  his 
or  John 
selected 
g  to  his 
capital 
ichtenau 
ough  he 

White 
hia,  that 

tonnu,  was 
he  18th  of 
riiscannvas 
it  of  Lich- 
•nior  huul- 
ly  .set  forth 
ir  cxplora- 
tliat  date 
five  acres, 
arters  of  a 

-'d  (Jan.  7, 
afterward, 

he  Shawa- 
Virginia, 
nding  the 
ow  glad  I 
;en  to  the 
n  God  has 
ng,  I  felt 


DA  VID   Z  EISD ER G  ER. 


437 


Congress  had  granted  the  Deluwarcs  a  minister  and  a' 
school-teacher,  and  that  they  should  build  a  church  at 
Goschachgiink.     It  thus  appeared  that  the  rumor  whicli 
had  come  to  the  ears  of  the  converts  was  not  without 
foundation.     The  motives  which  actuated  White  Eyes  \ 
could  not  be  divined,  but  the  line  of  conduct  to  be  pur-  j 
sued  was  plain.     Moravian  missionaries  had  brought  the 
Gospel  to  the  Delawares  when  no  man  cared  for  their 
souls,  had  led  hundreds  of  them  into  the  Church,  and.^' 
made  the  Christian  party  dominant  in  the  nation.     At 
such  a  time  a  new  mission,  begun  by  a  minister  of  an- 
other persuasion,  would  confuse  the  minds  of  the  natives 
and  mar  the  existing  work.     It.tliierefore  became  Zeis- 
bci'ger's  duty  to  oppose  White  Ejes. 

The  latter  having  returned  to  Goschachgiink,  a  coun- 
cil was  called  to  hear  a  report  of  his  proceedings.     He 
brought  out  an  address  from  Congress,  and  asked  Zeis- 
berger  to  interpret  it;  it  contained  the  following  points: 
1.  White  Eyes  has  applied  to  Congress  for  a  minister  j 
and  a  school-teacher  to  labor  among  the  Delawares.     2.  f 
If  an  Episcopal  minister  is  sent,  the  Moravian  Brethren  « 
are  to  be  informed  that  he  will  not  hinder  their  work. 
3.  White   Eyes   has  also  asked  for  mechanics  to  live 
among  the  Delawares  and  teach  them  trades.     4.  Con- 
gress requests  the  Delawares  to  designate  the  church 
to  which  they  wish  the  minister  to  belong,  and  to  say 
whether  they  are  unanimous  in  their   application  for 
white  mechanics. 

Profound  silence  followed  the  reading  of  this  address 
until  other  and  unimportanc  matters  were  introduced, 


\ 


438 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


wliicli  excited  so  little  attention  that  the  councilors,  one 
fhy  one,  retired,  including  White  Eyes.  At  hist  Neta- 
watwes  and  two  councilors,  together  with  Zeisberger  and 
his  deputies,  alone  remained.  "I  see,"  said  Zeisberger, 
"that  the  Council  has  separated  without  attending  to 
the  business  for  which  it  was  convened.  I,  too,  will  now 
;  go  home.  But  before  I  go  I  wish  to  inform  you  that  I 
.  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  these  plans,  and  will  never 
give  my  consent  to  them  ;  and  I  advise  you  to  consider 
well  before  you  sanction  them."  With  these  words  he 
fjeft  the  house  and  rode  back  to  Lichtenau. 

IIow  different  this  Council  from  the  one  in  which 
fWhite  Eyes  had  advocated  the  cause  of  the  missiona- 
i  vies  !  He  and  N^etawatwes  liad  exchanged  places.  By 
ihis  unauthorized  negotiations  with  Congress — by  at- 
i  tempting  to  inaugux'ate  a  new  work  without  consulting 
fhis  peers — he  had  transgressed  against  Indian  law  as 
,  gravely  as  Netawatwes  when  this  chief  had  sent  a  war- 
1  message  without  his  permission.  White  Eyes  read  this 
in  the  dissatisfied  faces  of  his  countrymen,  and  was  con- 
strained to  receive  Netawatwes'  well-merited  rebuke  in 
silence. 

'*"'  Qn_S^aturday  eveuin^(May_18^  1776),  tlje  Lord's_Sup- 
per  was  celebrated^  for  the  first  time,  at  Lichtenau. 
The  next  morning  visitors  from  Goschachgunk  filled 
the  church.  White  Eyes  was  among  them,  friendly  as 
lof  old,  but  ill  at  ease.  Perceiving  this,  Glikkikan 
t  strolled  with  him  into  the  forest,  and  induced  him  to 
I  unburden  his  heart.  Ambition  swayed  it.  He  was  no 
'longer  satisfied  with  the  mere  conversion  and  civiliza- 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


439 


tioii  of  the  Delawares,  and  with  securing  for  them  a 
permanent  home ;  ho  desired  to  make  them  great  and 
powerful,  like  the  Americans,  and  to  see  himself  at  their 
head.  In  order  to  accomplish  this,  he  must  have  minis- 
ters of  a  more  numerous  and  influential  church  than  the 
Moravian.  The  Moravians  were  too  humble  for  such 
aspiring  schemes.  Upon  the  whole,  he  no  longer  sought 
personal  religion,  but  was  a  friend  of  the  Gospel  only  in 
80  far  as  the  Gospel  would  help  him  to  power  and  glory,  i 
Glikkikan  uncovered  the  evil  of  this  course  in  language 
so  severe  and  condemnatory  that  Zeisberger  remarks  in; 
his  Journal,  "  I  would  hardly  have  ventured  to  speak  ta' 
him  in  such  a  way." 

A  few  weeks  later.  Colonel  George  Morgan,  the  new 
Indian  Agent  for  the  Middle  Department,'  asked  the 
Council  to  decide  the  matter  by  either  sanctioning  or 
repudiating  "White  Eyes'  application.  Congress  re- 
quired an  immediate  answer.  The  Council  sought 
advice  of  the  converts,  and  these  discouraged  the  pro- 
ject, as  unjust  to  the  Moravians  and  tending  to  con- 
fusion. White  Eyes,  who  by  this  time  had  realized 
the  grossness  of  his  blunder  and  perceived  that  his 
popularity  was  waning,  gladly  adopted  the  same  view. 
Colonel  Morgan  was  informed  that  the  Delawares  would 
abide  by  the  Moravian  Church. 

7ei8bcrg;or's    Delaware    Spelling;- Book   appeared   at 


1  Colonel  Morgan  was  a  native  of  Princeton,  N.  J.,  and  enjoyed  great] 
popularity  among  the  Indiana.     Ho  was  adopted  by  the  Delawares,  who  > 
gave  him  the  name  of  Tamanend,  the  highest  honor  which  they  could] 
confer. 


m 


440 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


.     J'  Philadelphia,  and  was  sent  to  the  Mission.     In  a  letter 

^^  ^.•^.-  ^to  Bishop  Ilehl  he  expresses  great  dissatisfaction  with 
I  ,/^  \^  jits  typographical  arrangement;  says  that  his  instruc- 
■^tions  have  been  neglected;  that  it  is  more  of  a  diction- 
1  ary  than  of  a  spelling-book ;  and,  above  all,  that  the 
:  Delaware  and  the  English  ought  to  have  alternated 
(  page  for  page. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGEB. 


441 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

THE    MISSION    DUUINQ    TIIK   WESTERN    I30UDER   WAR    OF    THE 
REVOLUTION.— 1770,  1777. 

Continued  cflbrts  of  the  Briti.sh  to  stir  uii  the  Indians. — IJafitism  of  tho 
first  convert  at  Lichtcnaii.-  -A  now  treaty  witli  tlio  "Western  tribes. — 
Death  of  Netawatwes. — Zeisberger's  position  in  the  Indijin  country  as 
tho  advocate  of  peace. — A  survey  of  the  West  and  its  military  posts 
about  1777. — William  Edwards  joins  tho  Mission. — Beginning  of  tho 
Western  border  war. — TIk;  Dilawares  continue  neutral. — White  Eyes 
tho  champion  of  peace  and  religion. — Correspondence  of  the  Delaware 
Council  with  Colonel  Morgan  respecting  the  missionaries. — Apostacy 
of  tho  Monsoy  converts  at  Schonbrunn. — Their  i)lot  to  remove  tho 
missionaries  and  bring  back  tho  Christian  Indians  to  heatiienism. — 
Schonbrunn  deserted. — Schmick  refuses  to  leave  Gnadenhiitten. — 
Heckowoldcr  returns  to  Bethlehem. — All  the  other  missionaries  at 
Lichtenau. — Murder  of  Cornstalk. — Tho  Delawares  still  maintain 
their  policy. — Jungmann  and  Schmick  retire  to  tho  settlements. — The 
entire  ^lission  in  charge  of  Zeisberger  and  Kdwards. — Arrival  of  tho 
Wyandot  Half  King  and  his  warriors. — Danger  of  tho  two  mission- 
aries.— Tho  Half  King  conciliated. — Edwards  takes  charge  of  Gnaden- 
hutten. — Progress  of  the  Indian  War. — Zei.sberger's  influence  in  tho 
Delaware  Council. — Encouraging  state  of  religion. — The  Gospel 
preached  to  war-parties. — Keturn  of  the  apostate  Monseys. 

The  tranquillity  of  the  Mission  wasjdisturbed  by  the 
persistent  eflforts  of  the  British  to  stir_  up  the  Indians. 
In  July,  rumors  of  the  warlike  disposition  of  tho  Iroquois, 
Ottawas,  and  Shawanese  agitated  the  Delaware  and 
Christian  towns.  The  peaceful  answer  received  from 
the  Wyandots  to  a  message  sent  by  the  Council  re- 
lieved their  anxiety  for  a  time.  But  it  soon  became 
evident  that  a  season  of  tribulation  was  at  hand. 

In  the  midst  of  such  forebodings,  the  first  baptism 


442 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


UJ 

II 

■'iiii 

i 

Id 

13 

Plfeni 

'  ^ill 

■n 

H>i 

W|! 

nil 

S'lL 

11 

1 

II; 

took  place  at  Lichtenau.  The  convert  was  that  grand- 
son of  Netawatwes  who  had  been  the  first  heathen  to 
build  himself  a  house  in  the  town.  He  received  the 
name  of  John,  and  became  a  bold  confessor.  A  friend 
advising  him  not  to  speak  of  his  religion,  lest  its  enemies 
might  take  his  life,  he  replied  :  "  If  my  life  is  in  danger, 
I  will  the  more  cheerfully  witness  of  the  truth.  Do  you 
imagine  that  a  baptized  Indian  fears  your  sorceries  as 
he  did  when  he  was  a  heathen,  and  that  he  will  hesitate 
to  make  known  what  the  Saviour  has  done  for  him  and 
for  all  men  ?  No !  "While  I  live,  I  will  not  hold  my 
peace,  but  proclaim  salvation.  This  is  the  command 
of  God." 

When   the    autumn    opened,  the   intentions  of   the 

British  Indians  could  no  longer  be  doubted.     Parties 

of  Iroquois  took  to  the  war-path,  and   the  Wyandots, 

changing  their  policy,  prepared  to  follow  them,  in  spite 

|of  a  second  message  from  the  Delawares,  which   they 

onsented    to    receive    only   in    the    presence    of   the 

overnor  of   Detroit,  who    imperiously  cut   the  belts 

n  pieces,  threw  them  at  the  feet  of  the  deputies,  insulted 

fWhite  Eyes,  and  bade  them  all  begone  within  half  an 

'hour.  The  more  cause  had  the  Americans  to  make  a 
new  treaty  with  the  Western  tribes,  in  October,  at 
Pittsburg.     The   Delawares  again  declared  for  peace, 

;  and  promised  to  advocate  it  among  their  grandchildren. 
Unusual  solemnity  was  given  to  this  pledge  by  the 

I  death  of  Netawatwes,  who  breathed  liis  last  before 
the  treaty  was  ratified,  beseeching  his  councilors,  and 

^jWhite  Eyes  in  particular,  to  uphold  neutrality  and  the 


DAVID   ZEJSBEEGEE. 


443 


I  ''i'-^-V<',  ■ 


Christiau  religion.  It  was  a  worthy  end  of  the  career 
of  this  aged  chief,  wliose  scheme  of  national  aggrandize- 
ment God  had  overruled  to  the  spread  of  the  Gospel  and 
the  sai  ;^ation  of  his  own  soul. 

The  principles  which  Netawatvres  bequeathed  to  his 
nation  he  had    learned   from  Zeisberger,  who  was  the 
indomitable  champion  of  peace  in  the  Western  border  I 
war.     While  the  Church  of  God  enshrines  his  memory -^   •''^t.sW 
as  an  apostle  among  missionaries,  America  must  call' 
him  a  benefactor,  because  he  averted  a  blow  that  would  i 
have  made  her  children   east  of  the  Alleghanies  wail' 
with  anguish. 

It^has  been  computed  that  the  Indians  of  IS'ew  York, 
Ohijpj^iUidthe  Lakes^could  muster,  at  the  beginning 
of  the  Revolution,  not  less  than  ten  thousand  warrior 
But  that  was  a  time  of  frequent  disaster  to  the  American 
cause.  Both  the  army  and  the  people  were  discouraged, 
and  had  it  not  been  for  the  fortitude  and  perseverance 
of  Washington,  the  struggle  would  have  come  to  a 
speedy  and  ruinous  end.  In  such  a  juncture,  if  the 
British  had  succeeded  in  establishing  an  offensive  con- 
federation among  the  Indian  tribes, — if  ten  thousand 
savages  had  advanced  from  the  West,  incited  by  the 
demon  of  war  that  changes  an  Indian  into  a  fiend, 
and  had  hurled  themselves  upon  the  Colonies  simul- 
taneously with  an  attack  from  the  East  by  the  regulars 
of  England,  the  result  would  have  been  fearful.  But 
God  himself  did  not  permit  such  a  calamity.  While 
Saniuel  Kirkland  secured  the  neutraUty,  of  thfi..O}ieidas 
aud^^uscaroras,  so    ths\i  Jhe   Irai^paois ,  .wer:e._.,  divided 


'^^v4 


hit 
lit 


il, 


t    : 


r 

444 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


/against  themselves,  Zeisberger  prevented  the  Delawares 

and  thereby  restrained 


1     S  •  ^>  \l 

(\    V  *'^>}from   taking    up   the    hatchet, 

jf^'   ';      J)^'     »the   many  tribes   that   acknow 
•  '\\p    j/  "  fathers.'     Thus  two  ordained 


^;^ 


:ledged    them   as   grand- 

,/'  "fathers.'     Thus  two  ordained  missionaries,  the  one  in 

\  the  East  and  the  other  in  the  West,  prompted  by  the 

« 

J  principles  of  a  common  faith  and  tliie  spirit  of  their 
t  common  Lord,  tacitly  joined  in  a  compact  to  hinder 
a  general  rising  of  the  savages.  The  greater  part  of 
the  Delawares,  it  is  true,  eventually  went  over  to  the 
enemy;  but  by  that  time  the  States  had  gained  a 
decisive  victory  through  Burgoyne's  surrender,  and 
France,  with  all  her  resources,  had  arrayed  herself  on 
their  side,  quieting  the  "Western  nations  by  the  respect 
which  her  name  awakened,  and  rendering  the  issue 
of  the  Revolution  no  longer  doubtful.  It  was  in  the 
fmost  gloomy  years  of  the  conflict  that  Zeisberger 
stretched  out  his  hand,  and,  in  the  name  of  humanity 
'and  the  Gospel,  kept  back  the  Western  hordes.^ 


\T 


7 


1  In  his  MS.  Hist,  of  the  Indians,  Zeisberger  says  :  "  If  the  Delawares 
had  taken  part  against  the  Americans   in   the  present  war,  America 

1  would  have  made  terrible  experiences ;  for  the  neutrality  of  the  Dela- 
J  wares  kept  all  the  many  nations  that  are  their  grandchildren  neutral 

\  too,  except  the  Shawanose,  who  are  no  longer  in  close  union  with  their 

I  grandfathers." 

/^  >  The  importance  of  his  services,  in  this  respect,  and  of  the  influence 
of  the  Mission  among  the  Delaware?,  was  acknowledged  by  such  men  as 

'Generals  Butler,  Hand,  Biodhead,    Gibson,  Irvine,  and  Neville.     The 

following  is  the  testimony  of  General  Richard  Butler,  as  delivered  to 

Hcckeweldcr:  "Had  the  chiefs  of  the  Delaware  nation,  together  with 

the  Christian  Indians,  pursued  a  dift'civiit  course  than  that  which  tlicy 

*  ad  ipted,  all  joined  the  enemy,  and  taken  up  the  hatchet  against  the 

I  American  people,  it  would  have  cost  the  United  States  muih  blood  and 

\  treasure  to  have  withstood  them  and  checked  their  progress,  besides 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


445 


lawares 
trained 


grand- 


Ill  order  +o  understand  the  developments  of  the  three 
eventful  years  which  he  spent  at  Lichtenau,  a  brief 
survey  of  the  West,  about  the  beginning  of  1777, 
will   be  necessary. 

Two  rival  centers  of  influence.  Fort  Pitt  and  Detroit, 
controlled  'he  niitlves.  At  the  former  lived  Colonel 
Mo'gan.  Familiar  with  the  habits  of  the  Indians, 
frank,  generous,  ai^^  hone«t  in  his  treatment  of  them, 
be  enjoyed  their  conlidence  and  exercised  a  beneficial 
authority.  The  commandant  was  Colonel  John  Neville. 
At  Detroit,  wliich  was  garrisoned  by  but  sixty-six  men,' 
Governor  Hamilton  had  his  headquarters,  and  asso- 
ciated with  him  were  the  Indian  agents,  who  ceased  not 
to  incite  the  tribes  to  war. 

Tl   ■  WjMidots  and  other  British  allies  rend^zyou^ed\ 
at  Sandusky  ;  the^Iro^uois  at  Niagara;  and  a  mongrel! 
band  of  some  sixty  or  eighty,  banditti  and  murderers/ 
of  the  worst  sort,  at  Pluggy's  Town,  so  called  from  the 
name  of  their  leader,  on  the  head-waters  of  the  Scioto^ 
In  Dunmore's  War,  Point  Pleasant,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Great  Kanawha,  had  been  made  a  fort;  and,  at  Wheel- 
ing, Fort  Fincastle  had  been  erected.     These  were  now 
American  posts.     In  1776^^  the  name  of  the  latter  was 
chaujijjd  to  Fort  Henry,  in  honoi-  of  Patrick  Henry.     It 
stood  on  the  bank  of  the  Ohio,  about  a  quarter  of  a 


wonkening  our  already  fecblo  armies  on  the  soa-boiU'd,  by  draining  them 
of  troops  for  the  Western  serviee,  and  this  might  have  proved  fatal  to 
the  cause." — Ifrckeweltlcr's  Report  ofihe  Mission  to  the  Society  for  Propa- 
gating the  Oosprl.     MS.  B.  A. 
'  Morgan's  Letter  to  Patrick  Henry.     Penn.  Archives,  v.  286. 


il 

i 

»! 

I 


^Pnfr 


i^^  'i\ 


.—f. 


446 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


,': 


mile  above  the  outlet  of  Wheeling  Creek.     Twenty  or 
thirty  log-huts  near  by  formed  the  town. 

At  the  Delaware  capital,  Gelelemend  had  taken  the 
place  of  Notawatwes.  His  principal  advisers  were: 
White  Eyes,  Memoacanund, — Wiiite  Eyes'  cousin, — 
Lehelengochwa,  Paomaholend,  Pegilend,  Majachqui- 
cund,  and  Nanias,  or  Fish,  who,  together  with  Muchu- 
somoechtin,  the  messenger  of  the  Council,  warml}'  sup- 
ported the  Mission,  while  the  remaining  councilors, 
Tetepachkschiis — the  Speaker — Machingwi  Puschlis,  or 
Big  Cat,  and  Weliechsit,  or  Delaware  Greorge,  were  its 
secret  enemies.  The  captain  next  in  rank  to  White 
Eyes  was  Wenginund,  living  on  the  Walhondiiig,  ten 
miles  from  Goschachgtink,  and  with  him  Woakaholend, 
another  noted  headman.  Captaui_  Fjpe»^  re[oicjnj[  iu 
waronjj,  had  made  over  the  duties  of  his  chieftain- 
ship to  Gulpicamen,  or  Captain  Thomson,  once  a 
convert  and  baptized  at  Gnadenhlitten  on  the  Mahony. 
Those  Monseys  who  had  not  seceded  from  the  nation 
dwelt  on  the  Walhonding,  a  few  miles  above  Goseh- 
achgUnk,  and  were  under  a  subordinate  chief,  Nach- 
quachkschiis,  or  Elias,  who  had  chosen  as  his  councilors 
Unumhamen,  Tenaungochwe,  and  Queepackange.  In- 
stigators of  evil,  leaders  in  wickedness,  the  oracles  of 
the  Delaware  rabble,  were  Twegachschasu,  an  assistant 
chief,  Schigalees,  a  councilor, — both  connected  with 
Pluggy's  gang, — and  Thechsallancepi,  or  John  Snake, 
a  Shawanese,  who  made  common  cause  with  the 
murderous  Mingoes.' 


1  List  of  some  of  the  headmen  among  the  Delawares.     MS.  B.  A. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


447 


i^' 


-^./ 


The  number  of  missionaries  had  been  increased  by'j 
the  arrival  (November  4th,  1776)  oi"  William  Edvvard8,( 
an  Englishman,  who  became  Zeisberger's  associate  atf 
Lichtenau,'  ITeckewelder'  had  joined  Jungmann  ati 
Schonbrunn,  and  Schmick  remained  alone  at  Gnaden- 
hUtten. 

The  Western  border  war  began  in  the  spring  of  1777. 
A  hatchej,  wrapped  in  a  belt  of  red  andjv^te  beads, 
was  sent  from  Detroit  and  accepted  by  the  Shawanese, 
Wyandots,  and  Min^oes.     liumor  said  that  it  was  to  be  ^^^-Z, 
offered  to  the  Delawares,  and  through  them  to  all  their        '^'tv, 
grandchildren  ;  and  that,  if  they  refused  it,  they  were  <^^ 
to  be  treated  as  common   enemies:    in   any  case,  the  '^  >'>[, 
Mission    was    to    be    destroyed.      Cornstalk*    him8elf\ 
came  to  Goschachgunk  and  reported  that  the  Shaw- 
anese, except  in  his  own  tribe,  were  all  for  war;   he 
could  do  nothing  to  prevent  it;  parties  were  already 
out ;  and  ammunition  was  being  forwarded  from  Detroit, 
for  their  use. 

On  the  ninth  of  March,  a  general  council  of  Dela- 
wares assembled  to  adopt  measures  in  so  perilous  an 
emergency.  It  was  resolved  to  decline  the  hatchet 
should  it  be  oflered;  to  protect  the  missionaries;  and 


1  William  Edwards  was  born  April  24,  1724,  in  the  Parish  of  Brink-) 
worth,  Wiltshire,  England.  Hisparentsbelonged  to  the  Anglican  Church. 
Ho  joined  the  Moravian  Church  in  1749,  and  emigrated  to  America,* 
where  hQ  bccame,tLdistinguishcd_fliissionary  among  the  Indjan^. 

*  On  a  previous  visit  to  Gnadenhiitten,  with  more  than  one  hundreo* 
warriors.  Cornstalk  conceived  so  great  a  regard  for  Schmick  and  his  » 
wife  that  ho  adopted  them  both  into  the  Shawanese  nation,  makingj 
Schmick  his  brother  and  Mrs.  Schmick  his  sister. 


■  k 


1 


■f[ 


'^.%  "^  r^^ 


448 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OP 


to  uphold  their  work.     WhitoEyes  sjjokej^thjfervid 
i  earnestness,   iu^fayor   of   the   Gospel.      Snatching  up 
va  Bible   and    several   of   Zeisberger's   Spelling-Books, 
(he  held  them  aloft,  and  said  : 

"  My  friends,  all  of  you  here  present !  You  know 
what  our  aged  chief  believed,  and  that  he  told  us  how 
good  a  fiiith  Christianity  is.  Listen  to  me.  I,  too, 
believe,  even  as  these  my  Christian  brethren,  and 
know,  even  as  they  know,  that  the  Word  of  God  is 
true.  Some  of  you,  although  you  are  not  yet 
Christians,  entertain  the  same  views ;  others  of  you 
oppose  this  faith,  because  you  think  it  is  not  good. 
Listen  to  me.  Here  I  take  my  j'oung  people  and 
children  by  the  hand,  and,  with  them,  I  kneel  before 
that  Being  who  gave  them  to  us,  and  pray  to  Him  that 
He  may  have  mercy  upon  us  all;  that  He  may  reveal 
His  Wcid  and  will  to  us  and  to  them,  yea,  to  our 
children's  children. 

"My  friends,"  turning  to  the  Christian  deputies,  "you 
hear  what  I  say.  Let  us  labor  together  for  our  children, 
and  show  them  our  good  intentions.  Brethren,  take 
pity  upon  me,  join  with  me  in  working  for  their  happi- 
ness." 

He  closed  amid  general  emotion,  the  tears  running 
down  his  own  cheeks.  On  the  following  day,  at  a 
second  session  of  the  Council,  the  Christian  deputies 
returned  a  warm-hearted  answer  to  this  appeal,  pledging 
themselves  to  aid  him  in  bringing  all  the  Delawares  to 
a  knowledge  of  the  truth.' 


1  Minutes  of  the  Council.     MS.  B.  A. 


TT 


I,  too, 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


449 


Anxious  to  provide  in  time  against  oveiy  danger 
that  might  threaten  the  missionaries,  the  councilors 
of  Goschachgiink  now  sent  the  following  message  to 
Colonel  Morgan  : 

"Brother  Tamanend,  we  want  your  advice  what  we 
shall  do  with  the  Moravian  ministers  and  their  people, 
if  the  Mingocs  should  attack  us.  We  think  it  would 
be  best  to  bring  them  all  together  into  one  town,  and  to 
keep  one  minister  only.  But  whatever  you  recommend 
we  will  adopt." 

Colonel  Morgan  replied : 

"Brothers,  in  case  you  remain  in  the  fear  that  the 
Moravian  ministers  and  school-teachers  will  be  badly 
treated  by  the  Mingocs  and  yourselves  attacked,  I  wish 
that  you  would  agree  to  act  as  the  Brethren  may  deem 
best.  They  have  been  sent  among  you  by  the  Almighty 
God  to  do  good,  and  I  hope  the  Evil  Spirit  will  never 
get  power  to  injure  them. 

"  Brothers,  I  desire  that  you  may  listen  to  their 
words,  and  do  them  all  the  services  in  your  power."* 

Accordingly  Gelelcmend  and  White  Eyes  proposed  to 
Zeisberger  to  concentrate  the  whole  body  of  converts 
and  missionaries  at  Lichtenau.  He  approved  of  the 
plan,  and  proceeded  to  Schonbrunn  (March  23d),  in 
order  to  carry  it  out. 

But  there  confusion  reigned.  Ever  since  the  pre- 
ceding autumn  the  Monsey  faction  on  the  Walhonding 


I 


-4 


1  Message  and  Reply  recorded  in  the  Bethlehem  Diary,  May,  1777. 
MS.  L.  A. 

29 


m 


^   . 


"^ 


-  in^*£it^*^mnfwtHmi^- 


450 


L/F£  AND   TIMES  OF 


m  m 


/ 


had  been  secretly  inveigling  their  countrymen  among 
the  converts  into  a  plot  both  against  the  Delaware 
Council  and  the  Mission.  They  won  over  Augustin 
Newallike,  who,  apostate-like,  immediately  lent  all  his 
influence  to  seduce  the  rest,  so  that,  by  the  end  of  the 
year,  there  existed  a  rebellious  party  which  defied  the 
authority  of  Jungmann,  and  Avas  fast  relapsing  into 
heathenism.  In  February,  Newallike  openly  renounced 
the  Church  and  betook  himself  to  the  Walhondiug.' 
The  disaft'ccted,  soon  after,  held  a  secret  conclave,  at 
midnight,  with  one  of  his  emissaries,  at  which  they 
agreed  to  disown  Christianity,  forsake  Schbnbrunn,  and 
join  the  Wyandots.  But  when  their  faction  grew  in 
numbers  as  rapidly  as  the  influence  of  the  missionaries 
waned,  they  became  bolder,  and  concocted  a  rising 
of  all  their  adherents,  the  seizure  of  the  teachers,  their 
forcible  removal  to  Pittsburg,  and  the  return  of  the 
converts  to  the  faith  and  practice  of  their  fathers. 

It  was  a  base  conspiracy,  unparalleled  in  the  history 
of  the  Indian  Mission.  The  machinations  of  the  Mon- 
seys,  however,  did  not  alone  give  it  strength ;  the  mis- 
sionaries themselves  unintentionally  fostered  it  by  the 
difllerences  of  opinion  which  prevailed  in  their  councils. 
Zeisberger  artlessly  says :  "  Schonbrunn  was  neglected. 
Thoj^  was  a  want  of  harmony  among  the  missionaries ; 


'    1  White  Eyes  meeting  him,  said :  "  You  joined  the  Brethren  because 

l|  nowhere  else  in  tlie  world  could  you  find  that  happiness  which  your 

J  heart  desired.     This  I  have  heard  you  say  with  your  own  lips.     But 

j  hardly  have  you  tried  this  happiness  when  you  relinquish  it  and  go 

j  back  to  heathenism.     I  call  that  not  acting  like  a  man." 


DAVID   ZEISBEROER. 


451 


they  were  jealous  one  of  the  other,  and  the  Indians'^ 
were  left  as  sheep  without  a  shepherd.  Not  slow  to  use  ( 
this  opportunity,  Satan  sowed  tares  among  the  wheat,  ■ 
and  the  tares  grew  so  rapidly  that  the  wheat  was  almost  \ 
choked." ' 

Of  all  these  troubles  he  had  hitherto  been  kept  \ii\ 
ignorance ;    but  now   his   measures   were   prompt   and 
authoritative.     Supported  by  his  colleagues,  who  cheer- 
fully united  to  lend  their  aid,  he  announced  that  the  I 
Mission  must  forthwith  be  removed  to  Lichtenau.     The 
faithful  part  of  the  membership  agreed  to  go ;    of  the 
apostates   a   number   refused   obedience,   and   declared 
that  they  no  longer  acknowledged  him  as  their  teacher, 
but   others   repented   and  withdrew  from  this  faction. 
Before  the   settlement  could   be   broken  up,  however,' 
and   after   Zeisberger    had    returned    to    Lichtenau,  u     , 
false  report  was  spread  by  the  perverts  that  Mingoes;  ^^^  ^ 
were  on  their  way  to  murder  the  missionaries.     Jung- 
mann  and  his  wife,  accompanied  by  the  Conner  family,'; 
fled    to    Lichtenau;    Heckewelder    to    Gnadenhiitten.j*' 
Thereupon  the  conspirators  took  possession  of  Schcin- 
brunn,  the  majority  of  the  converts  retiring  at  their  ap-       '  '*  ^ 
proach.     As  soon  as  Heckewelder  discovered  the  strata- 
gem, he  hastened  back  to  the  town,  but  heathenism  wasj 
already  rampant,  and  the  few  Christians  that  remained  ( 
seemed  to  be  powerless.     He  sent  for  Zeisberger,  who/ 
came  at  once,  and,  to  some  extent,  restored  order. 

Meanwhile    everything  had    been   prepared   for  the 


TT 


'v-^. 


X. 


-^w 


-J.* 


1  Zeisberger's  MS.  Sketch  of  the  Indian  Mission.     B.  A. 


I  • 


!! 


^ 


.r^ 


I: 


452 


LIFE  AXD    TIMES  OF 


emigration 


Early  in  the  morning  of  the  nineteenth 
ot'  April,  a  short  religious  service  was  held,  at  the  close 
of  which  Zeisberger  fell  on  his  knees  and  ottered  up  a 
ferven<^  prayer,  committing  the  converts  to  the  protec- 
tion I  Ood,  and  interceding,  with  strong  cries  ami 
tear-i,  for  the  apostate  Monseys.  As  soon  as  the 
benediction  had  been  pronounced,  the  chapel  was 
razed  to  the  ground.  The  next  day,  turning  their 
backs  upon  the  pleasant  town,  and  the  beautiful 
spring,  and  the  fair  fields,  the  converts  took  their 
sorrowful  road  to  Giiadenhutten,  and  thence  to  Licli- 
tenau.  Schonbrunn_jvas_  Jiift^  hi.  Jt,h.e.  hau^  ,fi^..tlie 
Mongers. 

Schmick  would  not  permit  his  people  to  join  their 
fellow-converts,  but  kept  them  at  GnadenhUtten.  In 
a  letter  to  Bishop  llehl/  he  exjiresses  his  disapproval 
of  the  evacuation  of  Schonbrunn,  denounces  it  as  un- 
necessary, and  Zeisberger  as  the  cause  of  the  evil.  But 
Zeisberger  deserves  no  blame.  There  can  be  no  doubt 
that  his  prompt  mea'^ures  saved  the  entire  Mission  from 
ruin;  and  his  con<luct  was  fully  vindicated  by  the 
\  experiences  that  followed. 

I    Zeisberger,  Jungmann,  Mrs.  Jungmann,  and  Edwards 

now  lived  together  at  Lichtenau.     Heckewelder,  by  the 

advice  of  Zeisberger,  returned  to  Bethlehem. 

The  complications  of  the  war  increased.     Cornstalk, 

(who  had  gone  to  Point  Pleasant   to  report  the  move- 

iments  of  the  Shawanese,  was  basely  arrested,  kept  as 


V 


'  Original  Letter,  May  24,  1777.     L.  A. 


fr  .y^U^ 


{^ 


V     w 


/.. 


DA  VI I)  Z  KJSD  ER  a  tJR. 


a  hostage,  aiul,  soon  :(ftcr,  rnurderofl  in  cold  blood,^ 
together  with  Ellini[isico,  his  aoii,  i)y  the  soklicrs  off 
the  garrison,  in  revenge  for  tlie  loss  one  of  their 
companions  who,  wiiile  hunting,  had  met  liis  death  at 
the  hands  of  a  Briti^^h  Indian.  Tims  fell  one  of  the 
Ijravest^nd  noblest  of  the  natives_^  that  age.  That 
90  unwarrantable  an  outrage  did  not  convert  thei 
neutral  tribes  of  the  West  into  blood-thirsty  enemies' 
was  owing  more  to  the  good  fortune  than  to  the  merit! 
of  the  Americans. 

The    Delawares    firmly    maintained    their    position.) 
They_j:e|jgi8tM]__Uifi__waj^^^        three   times  in  the  course 
of  tbo   summer;  and   although,   when  it  was   pressed 
upon    them   a   fourth    time,   they   accepted   it    as   tlie 
easiest  mode  of  satisfying  the  pertinaciousness  of  the; 
Wyandots,  which  began  to  be  manifested  in  a  threat-  \ 
ening  form,  they  sent  it  back  to  Sandusky  the  moment/ 
the  messengers  had  left  their  capital. 

Nor  were  they  less  determined  in  protecting  the 
missionaries,  although  it  was  not  in  their  power  to 
guarantee  to  them  absolute  security.  War-parties 
commenced  to  pass  that  way,  bringing  death  to  the 
white  man  and  tlestruction  to  his  settlements.  Such 
parties  were  not  to  be  controlled.  Respect  for  the 
pledges  of  the  Delawares  formed  no  article  in  their 
instructions.  Some  painted  savage  might,  at  any  time, 
dash  his  tomahawk  into  the  head  of  a  missionary  or  a 
missionary's  wife.  It  became  the  duty  of  these  teachers 
to  consider  their  danger  and  decide,  each  one  for  him- 
self, what    he    ought    to    do.      Jungmann,    urged    by 


•v-J*«» 


I 


r/  -  - 


iU 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


'^Zoisborger,    left    the    Mission    (August    Gth)    on    Mrs. 
Jnngtnunn's    account,    iind     rotuniod     to    Bctlilehera. 
A     low     days    later,     Schmick    and    his     wife,     with 
J  Schubosh,  fled  from  Gnadenhiitten   to   Litiz.'      Hence 

I  the    entire    Mission    was   left  in   charge  of  Zeisbcrger 
and   Edwards.      In   a  letter  to  the  Board,  the  former 
ju' rites : 

"  My  heart  docs  not  allow  me  even  so  much  as  to 
think  of  leaving.  Where  the  Christian  Indians  stay 
I  will  stay.  It  is  impossible  for  mc  to  forsake  them. 
If  Edwards  and  I  were  to  go,  they  would  be  without 

V,* 

■'  a  guide,  and  would  disperse.  Our  presence  gives 
authority  to  the  national  assistants,  and  the  Lord 
gives  authority  to  us.  lie  will  not  look  upon  our 
remaining  here  as  foolhardiness.  I  make  no  preten- 
sions to  false  heroism,  but  am,  by  nature,  as  timid  as 
a  dove.  My  trust  is  altogether  in  God.  Never  yet 
has  lie  put  me  to  shame,  but  always  granted  me  the 
courage  and  the  comfort  I  needed.  I  am  about  my 
duty ;  and  even  if  I  should  be  murdered,  it  will  not 
be  my  loss,  but  my  gain,  for  then  will  the  fish  return  to 
his  native  element."* 

The  confidence  of  the  missionaries  was  soou  put  to 
the  test  and  the  crisis  of  their  fate  brought  on.  There 
arrived  at  GoscliachgUnk,  with  two  hundred  warriors 
from  Sandusky,  Pomoacan,  the  wild  and  haughty  Half 

I  At  Litiz,  Schmick  assisted  Bishop  Hehl,  nnd  preached  in  the  U.  S. 
Hospital  which  had  been  established  in  the  town,  until  early  in  the 
next  year,  when  he  died,  January  23,  1778,  in  the  64th  year  of  his 


^  Zeisberger's  Letter.     L.  A. 


P^^^v5-iX^«AV  t^^^'y    *^^    -'tr^  V/^w^T^, 


DAVID   ZEISBERGER. 


455 


King_pf-tho  WyandptB.      Accordinor  to  tlio  barbarous^ 
usage  of  Indian  warfare,  the  two  white  teachers  were  \ 
at  the  mercy  of"  these  savasjjes,  who  might  scalp  them, 
or  carry  them  into   captivity,   as   they  pleased.     "No 
exceptions,"   writes   Zeisberger,   "had    theretofore    oc- 
curred ;  no  white  persons  found  in  the  Indian  country 
during  a  time  of  war  had  ever  been  saved  ])y  friendly 
natives   from    the    hands  of    passing  warriors,  unless 
they  were  prisoners  adopted  into  a  tribe ;  on  the  con- 
trary, many  cases  were  known  of  headmen  and  chiefs, 
trying  in  vain  to  rescue  their  white  friends.'" 

Zeisberger  and  Edwards  m^re  equal  to  their  j)erilou8  , 
situation.      Calm  in   the  strength  of  their  faith,  they  j 
said    one    to    another,   "If   we    perish,  we    perish!'"; 
Prudent    in    their    efforts    to    save    their    lives,    they ' 
employed    all    the    means     of    conciliation    common  1 
among  the  aborigines.     A  speech  was  prepared,  setting' 
forth    that    the    believing   Indians  of   Lichtenau    andj 
Gnadenhiitten  had  accepted  the  "Word  of  God  ;   that! 
they  prized  it  as  a  great  treasure  ;  that  they  held  daily 
councils  at  which  it  was  made  known ;  that  they  had 
two  white  teachers  who  proclaimed  it ;  and  that  they 
begged  the  Half  King  to  recognize  these  teachers  as 
their  own  flesh  and  blood.     Sending  a  large  quantity 
of  their  choicest  provisions  in  advance,  a  deputation  of 
converts,  headed  by  Isaac  Glikkikan,  sought  an  inter- 
view with  Pomoacan.      It  was  the  eighth  of  August^ 


;  t 


%\ 


III 


1  Zcisbergcr's  MS.  Sketch  of  the  Indian  Mission.     B.  A. 
« Ibid. 


■r »----»-JJM,y 


'M 


456 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


m 


\ 


/ 


He  met  tliem  in  the  Council  House  of  Goschachgunk. 
j  The  missionaries  remained  at  Lichtenau,  where  a  canoe 
Iwaa  launched  ready  to  convey  them  to  a  place  of  safety; 
I  while  at  the  door  of  the  Council  House  stood  a  mes- 
*' senger  on  the  watch,  who  was  to  mount  his  horse  at  the 
I  first  token  of  unfriendliness  on  the  part  of  the  Wyan- 
f  dots,  and  bring  Zeisberger  timely  notice. 

Giikkikan  delivered  the  speech  and  several  fathoms 
ofwam£uni.     Both  were  well  received,  and  after  a  brief 
'  consultation  with  his  captains,  the  Half  King  replied : 
"I  rejoice  to  hear  that  the  believing  Indians  have  ac- 
cepted the  "Word  of  God,  and  have  two  white  teachers 
.  among  them  to  proclaim  it.     Let  them  continue  to  hold 
'  their   daily  councils,  undisturbed   by  passing  warriors. 
Their  teachers  I  herewith  acknowledge  a.,  my  fathers ; 
the  Wyandota   arc   their  children.      I   will   make   this 
known  among  the  nations,  and  tell  it  to  the  Governor 
of  Detroit."     The  next  day  he  visited   Lichtenau  with 
his  warriors,  all   of  whom,  one   by  one,  pledged  their 
hands   to   Zeisberger   and   Edwards.      "  Thus,"   writes 
the   former,  "was    suddenly  removed    a   mountain   of 
difficulties."     The   missionaries  were    now  under    the 
protection  of  the  warriors  themselves;   and   although, 
r  shortly  after,  an  army  of  Mi^ngoes,  Ottawas,  Chij|)pewas, 
)  Shawanese,  "Wampanoags,   Potawatomies,  and  French 
Canadians  encamped  near  their  town,  their  work  was 
carried  on  as  freely  as  though  it  were  a  time  of  profound 
peace. 

Edwards  now  hastened  to   Gnadenhiitten,  and  took 
cliarge.  of  that  forsaken  station.     Zeisberger  remained 


DAVID  ZEJSBERGER. 


457 


at  Lichtenau,  where  liardl}'^  a  week  passed  without  the 
arrival  of  n  A^ll^^iirt^-  But  no  harm  hefell  him.  He 
was  treated  with  the  respect  due  to  a  "  father,"  even 
when  he  ministered  to  the  wants  of  prisoners  and 
interdicted  the  running  of  the  gantlet  in  his  town. 

The  Half  King's  band,  after  totally  defeating  a  body^, 
of  borderers  who  were  advancing  against  the  Delaware! 
capital  without  authority  from   Pittsburg   ai^d   in  spite'' 
of  the  orders  of  its  commandant,  gathered  around  Fort 
Henry,  toward   the   end    of    September,  and    on    the 
twenty- seventh  attacked  it  with  the  utmost  fury.     But 
although  its  garrison  was  a  mere  uandfni,  the  assault  _^ 
was  unsuccessful,  and,  the  following  day,  they  loft   on| 
their  homeward  march. 

The  news  of  the  attempt  against  Goschachgiink 
startled  its  councilors;  and  when  further  intelligence 
reached  them,  that  General  Hand,  the  new  commandant 
of  Pittsburg,  and  said  to  be  a  bitter  enemy  of  the  Indians, 
v/as  on  his  way  with  lour  hundred  men  to  devastate  the 
country,  the  excitement  grew  so  intense  that  it  carried 
along  even  White  Eyes,  although  he  had  letters  both 
from  Hand  and  Morgan  assuring  him  of  the  unwavering  ' 
friendship  of  the  Americans.  The  Council  would  inevi- ' 
tably  have  declared  war  had  not  Zeisbcrger,  the  same'  y 
night  in  which  he  heard  of  its  intentions,  sent  several)' 
Christian  Indians,  at  the  full  speed  of  their  horses,  toj 
prevent  such  an  issue.  He  expostulated  with  the 
members  upon  their  impetuosity;  proved  from  their 
letters  that  they  were  misled   by  false   rumors;    and^ 


;  ft 


4 


'K-:'> 


•X 


458 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


'ii 


v,-<. 


•^ 


A 


c- 


'  besought  them  not  to  leave  their  neutral  ground.    His 
arguments  prevailed.     War  was  not  declared. 

But  Captain  Pipe  and  his  fiiction  were  indefatigable 
in  their  attempts  to  bring  about  a  rupture.    By  dark  hints 
and  open  persuasions,  by  alternately  exciting  their  fears 
and  appealing  to  their  honor  as  Indian  braves,  by  filling 
the  whole  month  of  October  with  incessant  agitations, 
they,  at   last,  caused   a   majority  in    the   Council    and 
#ijiation  to  incline  to  war.     But  again  Zeisberger  inter- 
■    .  posed.     By  his  authority  it  was  proclaimed  at  Goschacli- 
[  gunk,  that  the  very  day  the   Delawares   took   up   the 
]  hatchet   the  whole    body  of    Christian    Indians  would 
I  leave  their  country.     Alarmed  by  this  threat,  and  well 
I  knowing  that  if  it  were  carried  out  the  prosperity  of  the 
nation  would  wane,  Gelelemend  and  White  Eyes  called 
-,  a  general  council  at  which  the  neutrality  of  the  Dela- 
■  wares  was  reaffirmed. 
/.v.      In  the  letter  which  reported  these  events  to  the  Board, 
'^  X     Zeisberger  expresses  his  belief  that  he  will  be  able  to 
.         /maintain  his  position   at   Lichtenau.     It   is   clear,  too, 
(from  the  same  missive,  that  he  was,  at  this  time,  the 
/most   influential   councilor  among  the  Delawares,  and, 
un    conjunction   with   White    Eyes    and    Gelelemend, 
Virtually  ruled   the   nation.     His  connection   with   na- 
Jtional  afl'airs,  he    says,  is   not  agreeable   to   him,  but 
it  is  necessary,  and  gives  him  great  authority.     What 
he  most  fears  is  the  evil  influence  of  the  warriors  upon 
the  religious  state  of  the  converts.     In  conclusion,  he 
writes:  "Edwards  and  I  commend  ourselves,  with  all 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


459 


our  people,  to  your  prayers  and  earnest  intercessions, 
which  the  Lord  will  certainly  hear." 

His  apprehensions  were,  however,  not  fulfilled.  In 
spite  of  the  frequent  enticements  which  surrounded 
them,  the  people  grew  in  grace  and  in  the  knowledge 
of  God,  distinguishing  themselves  at  this  time,  even 
more  than  in  other  periods,  by  their  consistency  and 
zeal.  The  national  assistants  were  full  of  holy  fi'-e,  and 
dften  went  to  Goschachgunk  to  preach,  where  they  '^ 
gained  new  converts,  some  of  whom  were  not  ashamed 
to  rise  publicly  in  the  Council  and  confess  Christ.  Nor^ 
were  the  warriors  forgotten.  To  band  after  band,  as  it 
came  and  went,  was  the  Gospel  proclaimed  with  great 
boldness.  Painted  braves  wdtli  their  nodding  plumes 
often_filled  the_chajDeij^  overflowing.     By  i 

far  the  most  encouraging  experience,  however,  was  the 
return  of  the  majority  of  the  apostate  Monseys,  who  { 
confessed  their  sins,  and  entreated  Zeisberijer  to  receive  '\ 
them  again  into  fellow^ship.  In  all  the  history  of  the ) 
Mission  there  is  not  a  more  brilliant  evidence  of  the? 
power  of  the  Gospel. 


:     S' 


460 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

THE   MISSSTON    DURING    the    WESTERN    I30RDER   AVAR    OF   THE 
REVOLUTION  (CONTINUED).— 1778,  1779. 

New  porils  threaten  the  Mi^i;i(in.— Governor  Hamilton's  reputed  letter 
ordering  the  missionaries  to  arm  tlieir  eonverts. — Alexander  McKeo, 
Matthew  Elliot,  iSinion  Girty. — Their  intrigues  anu)ng  the  Dela- 
wares. — Captain  Pipe  and  his  party  elamor  for  war. — Its  deelara- 
tion  postponed  lor  ten  days  at  the  instance  of  White  Eyes. — Arrival 
of  Heekew(^lder  with  peaee-nie.-^sage.s,  and  complete  diseomliture  of 
Pipe's  faction. — Ueckewelder"s  meeting  with  Zeisberger. — All  the 
converts  conontrated  at  Lielitcnau. — Alajor  Clark's  dash  on  the  posts 
of  the  Mississippi.. — Governor  Hamilton  incites  the  savages  to  greater 
violence. — The  Delawares  maintain  their  po>ition. — Treaty  at  Pitts- 
burg.— Its  stipulations  and  baneful  results. — The  commissioners  give 
the  Delawares  the  war-biilt. — Indignation  of  Morgan  and  Zeisberger. 
— Mcintosh's  expedition  against  the  Sandusky  tcwns. — Requisition 
for  Delaware!  warrior.s. — Zeisberger's  protest  against  enlisting  con- 
verts.— Fort  Laurens. — Death  of  White  Eyes. — Hamilton's  expedi- 
tion against  Goschaehgiink  and  Lichtenau  frustrated. — Plots  of  the 
British  Indians  in  the.-e  towns. — The  Council  and  Ze'sberger  call 
Mcintosh's  army  to  their  aid. — Siege  of  Eort  Laiirens. 


In  the  early  spring  of  1778,  Zeisberger  unexpectedly 
found  himself  again  in  the  midst  of  perilous  complica- 
tions.    They  came  upon  him  from  two  different  sides. 

One  day  a  Wyandot  e:;''^"c'1  the  Mission  House  and 
handed  him  a  letter  v.- i'i  an  oiiio;.'  seal.  It  purported 
to  be  from  Governor  Tin  'liltoM,  ran  commanded  the 
Moravian  miss!  narics  i.>  jun  <ucir  Indians,  put  them- 
^selves  at  their  head,  and  niin  ■!  against  the  "rebels" 
beyond  the  Ohio,  whom  tl.o]  were  indiscriminately  to 
attack  on  their  farms  and  in  tlieir  settlemeUco,  tlaying 


Hi^\.M'f    .  ' 


^ 


V  '.  V  V- 


,« t-t  v' 


P4t7/i  ZEISDEROER. 


461 


OF   THE 


without  mercy  and  bringing  the  scalps  to  Detroit'  Ter-) 
rible  threats  were  added  if  tlicy  refused  to  obey  this  , 
order. 

ZcisbcrgtjjMia§^.0-Uroi'.-.gtJL'icketi.     To  an  ordained  min- 
ister of  Christ,  preaching  peace,  having  ibr  years  de- 
voted his   strength  of  body  and  mind   to  civilize  the 
savages,  using   every  eftbrt,  at  this  time,  to   stop  the 
massacres  and  alleviate  the  misery  of  the  border  war, 
the  idea  that  a  Christian  man  and  British  officer  should 
require  missionaries  to  incite  their  converts  to  deeds  of 
blood  seemed  iniquitous  beyond  expression.     Hurrying 
to   the  tire-place,  he  threw  the  sheet  into  the  flames. 
But  he  could  not  forget  its  contents.     It  plunged  him  \ 
into  a  state  of  mental  depression  which  he  vainly  en- 
deavored to  shake  otf.     Unl)urdening  his  heart,  several 
weeks  later,  to  lleckewelder,  he  said:  "Oh,  what  sor-l 
row  that  letter  has  caused  me!     T  cannot  think  of  itj 
without  dying   a  sort  of  death — it  was  too  horrible  ty 
production  !" 

It  appears  not  to  have  occurred  to  him  that  the  letter 
was  a  forgery  lie  believed  that  it  had  been  written 
by  Hamilton.  And  yet,  although  the  truth  was  never 
ascertained,  it  is  more  than  probable  that  tliis  mis- 
sive was  an  attempt  on  the  part  of  some  subordinate 
and  perhaps  irresponsible  agent  to  alarm  the  mission- 
aries and  drive  them  from  the  Delaware  country. 
Whatever  the  character  of  Hamilton,  he  would  not  have 
ventured  officially  to  bid  mhiisters  of  the  Gospel  be- 


'  Heckowelder's  MS.  Biographical  Sketch. 


462 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


\^  '■; 


!■  «  p"v 


[?rifi-ri 


•^ 


> 


(come  murderers,  tear  reeking  scalps  from  the  heads 
of  their  countrymen,  and  lead  Christian  Indians  to 
.those  scenes  of  carnage  in  which  the  savages  engaged. 
/Against  such  a  measure  the  civilized  world  would  have 
"  protested. 

Zeisberger  was  alone,  harassed  by  many  responsibili- 
ties, worn  out  by  much  labor.  It  ia  not  surprishig  that, 
under  such  circumstances,  his  usual  sagacity  failed  him 
and  he  accepted  as  true  what  was  so  evidently  false. 

The  other  cause  of  trouble  was  more  serious.  There 
came  to  Goschachgunk  some  disaife  ;ted  persons  from 
Pittsburg,  with  Alexander  McKee,  Matthew  Elliot,  and 
Simon  Girty,  an  ignoble  trio  of  go-betweens  and  des- 
peradoes. 

McKee  was  an  Indian  agent  of  the  British  govern- 
ment, a  prisoner  released  on  parole,  hurrying,  in  flagrant 
violation  thereof,  to  Detroit,  in  order  to  give  all  the  in- 
formation he  had  gathered  while  among  the  Americans. 
Elliot,  a  trader,  but  secretly  holding  the  commission  of 
a    British   captain,    had   been    at   Pittsburg   as   a   spy. 
/SiniQri  .:Gii'ty,  an  adopted  Seneca,  an   inveterate  drunk- 
tard,  a  blustering  ruffian,  seduced  by  British  gold  to  for- 
jsake  the  Americans,  whose  interpreter  he  had  been,  was 
mow  espousing  the  royal  cause  with  all  the  baseness  of 
{his  character.^ 

Soon  after  the  arrival  of  this  party  a  second  appeared, 
consisting  of  a  serjeant  and  twenty  privates,  deserters 


>  Taylor's  Ofiio,  281, 282.    Girty  had  two  brothers,  Gcorire,  an  adopted 
•'Delaware,  and  James,  an  adopted  Shawancse.     They  were  all  three 
'Pennsylvariians,  and  carried  oli'  prisoners  by  the  Indians,  about  1756. 


i:i  ■'* 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


463 


d  have 


from  the  fort,  who  joined  the  British  Indians.*  These 
mea  all  vied  one  with  another  in  spreading  falsehoods 
among  the  Delawarea.  The  Americans,  they  said,  had 
been  totally  defeated  in  the  Atlantic  States ;  driven 
westward,  they  were  now  about  to  wage  an  indiscrimi- 
nate war  against  the  Indians.  Such  reports  produced  a 
general  excitement  in  the  nation.  Captain  l^ipe,  who 
had  been  eagerly  watching  for  an  opportunity  to  sup- 
plant White  Eyes  and  overthrow  the  policy  of  the 
Council,  hastened  to  the  capital,  called  upon  his  coun- 
trymen to  seize  the  hatchet  and  defend  their  homes. 
Who  would  venture  to  prate  of  treaties  now  ?  White 
Eyes  barely  succeeded  in  having  the  declaration  of  war 
postponed  for  ten  days,  that  time  might  be  given  to 
ascertain  whether  the  reports  were  true  or  false.  But 
this  did  not  hinder  preparations  for  the  conflict.  Qpsch-/ 
achgUnk  rang  with  tiie  war-song  rifles  were  cleaned^ 
and  tomahawks  sharpened ;  the  warriors  painted  theiri 
faces  and  selected  their  plume*.  Meanwhile  Zeisb<'rger\ 
sat  alone  at  Lichtenau,  uuab'e  to  control  this  istorm. 
His  words  were  as  a  whisper  amid  its  fury. 

But   it  was   ruled   by  a  high<^ir  hand.      The   Board 
having,  for  a  long  time,  heard  nothing  from  the  Mis-  i 
sion,  Heckewelder  and  Schebosh  were  sent  to  Pittsburg/ 
(March  23d),  to  gather  what  intelligence  they  could,  or 
to  visit  tlie  Indian  churches  in  person  should  the  traijj 
be  open.     Tb.ey  found  the  fort  in  great  alarm  at  the/ 
escape  of  the  spies  and  deserters  and  the  success  of} 
their   intrigues  among   the   Delawarea.      In   order  to 


7 '.:/:• 


.J 


'  Ponn.  Archives,  vi.  445. 


f 


I 


i 


iiit 

,<1  'Smf  ' 


p 

I 

.^>M  '' 

:}■ 

ilfiB   L  '• 

vi;.  .'iJiil 

Ml  '1    " 

4  ,'ii«ii . 

hIh 

W  '^' 

^'4'ipi^ 

In 

Ml 

'  ';ij 

HI 

/ 


464 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


prevent  the  rising  of  this  nation  and  its  numerous 
grandehihh-en,  peace-messages  must  at  once  be  sent  to 
Goschachgiink.  Such  messages  were  prepared,  but  not 
a  runner  could  bo  induced  to  take  them.  General 
Hand's  offers  of  the  most  liberal  rewards  were  all  in 


vain  ;  the  risk  was  too  great. 


In  this  emergency,  IXeckewelder  and  Hchobosh  volun- 
teered their  services.     Riding  throe  tjays  uutl  two  niglits 

i  without  stopping,  except  to  feed  their  horsoH,  in  con- 
stant danger  from  the  war-partioH  that  lurked  in  the 
forests,  they  reached  Gnadenhiitten  an  hour  before 
midnight  of  the  lifth  of  April.     The  next  day  was  the 

i  ninth  of  the  stipulated  term.     No  contradiction  of  the 

;  reports  spread  by  Girty  and  his  confederates  had  been 
received.      War  was  accepted  as  a  necessity  oven   by 

'  White   Eyes.      Of  that   crisis   John  Ileckewelder  was 

,  the  illustrious  hero.  Although  scarcely  able  any 
longer  to  sit  upon  his  horse,  and  although  it  was  at 

j  the  risk  of  his  life,  ho  pressed  on,  after  but  a  brief 
rest,  accompanied  by  John  Martin,  a  nat:  /e  assistant, 

^  and  got  to  Goschachgiink  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

i  The  whole  population  turned  out  to  meet  him.     But 

\  their  faces  were  dark  and  sinister.  There  was  no 
welcome  given.  Not  a  single  Delaware  reciprocated 
his  greetings.     He  extended  his  hand  to  White  Eyes, 

'  but  even  White  Eyes  stepped  back. 

Holding  aloft  the  written  speeches  of  which  he  was 

',  the  bearer,  Heckewelder  addressed  the  Indians  from  his 

/  horse.      He  told  them  that  they  had  been  deceived  ; 

/that  the  Americans,  instead  of  being  defeated  in  the 


^ 


l^vJ. 


U 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


465 


Atlantic  States,  liad  gained  a  great  victory  and  forced 
Burgoyne  and  his  whole  army  to  surrender;  and  that, 
so   far   from   making    war    upon   the   Delawares,  they  . 
were  their  friends  and  had  sent  hin  to  establish  a  new  ' 
alliance.     Such  news  brought  about  a  sudden  chansre  in.; 
the  aspect  of  affairs.     A  council  was  called;  the  misy 
gives  of  General  Hand  were  delivered  and  accepted  ia 
due  form ;  the  warlike  preparations  ceased  ;  and,  while 
Captain  Pipe  and  his  adiierents  left  the  town  in  great 
ohti;j:rin,  the  instigators  of  this  whole  plot  fled  to  mor» 
tiniignniai  fribus. 

lleckeuHildar  no}i;  ..j)(}8fei|0(|  |,q  p))op^*  ^pjs))evger  with 
the  g\m\  tidin^H.  lilnteHng  the  Allssloli  (toiise  at  Jy)«h- 
tenau  with  all  the  ph.'asuralde  excilouiL'iijt  of  o/ie  n\)i^W\. 
to  surprise  a  IViciid,  liii  was  sdirthid  to  HCij  \i\U\  sitting 
by  the  iii-o,  pah^,  emaciated,  the  image  of  despair. 
"Ah,  my  dear  John!"  exclaimed  Zeisberger  as  ho 
rose  to  welcome  him,  "are  you  here?  You  have 
come  into  the  midst  of  the  lire !  If  God  does  not 
work  a  miracle  the  Mission  is  at  an  end !  The 
Indians  of  Gnadenhiitten  arc  on  the  point  of  fleeing 
hither  for  safety.  I  it  there  is  no  safety  here !  Satan 
rules!  One  evil  folbnvs  the  other!  All  Goschachgiink 
is  preparing  for  war!  "What  will  be  the  issue  of  these  { 
things  ?  What  will  become  of  the  Mission  ?  If  the  ' 
Delawares  really  go  to  war,  we  pre  lost !  I  care  not 
for  myself^ — but  oh,  my  poor  Indians!"  Thus  burst 
forth  tiie  pent-up  emotions  of  his  breast  until  tears 
choked  his  utterance.  In  all  the  dark  days  that 
boded  ruin  to  his  work,  he    had   no  friend   to  whom 

30 


ii«  J 


iB>""» 


'f 


I    :  I 


If 

1 1:  .I 


!'    :■' 


I 


H 


n 


9 


466 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


/to  open  his  heart,  and  now  that  his  faithful  coadjutor 
unexpectedly   stood   before    hiin,   he   sought    relief   in 

1  these  wails   of   agony.      Ileckewelder  seated   himself 
Vat  his  side  and  recounted  the  events  of  the  morning. 
Then   his      -ooping  faith  renewed   its  youth   like   the 
eagle's.' 

In  consequence  of  the  disturbances  caused  by  the 
war,  and  the  refractory  spirit  of  some  of  the  young 
people,  the  GnadonhUtten  Indians  were  brought  to 
Lichtenau,  so  that  the  whole  body  of  converts  might 
be  concentrated  at  one  place,  under  the  combined 
care  of  Zeisberger,  Edwards,  and  Ileckewelder.  Zeis- 
berger  regained  his  influence  in  the  Council,  and 
caused    a    deputation    to    be     sent    to    Pitt^^burg    in 

/response  to  General  Hand's  dispatches.  In  a  letter 
to  the  Board,  written  about  this  time,  he  said  that 
the  three  united  churches  hoped  to  be  able  to  hold 
out  until  the  end  of  the  war.  If,  however,  this  should 
prove  impossible,  ho  would  put  himself  at  their  head 
and  lead  them  to  the  south  country  far  beyond  the 
reach  of  danger. 

Stirring  events  now  transpired  in  the  West.  Com- 
missioned by  Virginia,  Major  George  Rogers  Clark,  a 
brave  Kentuckian,  set  out  from  the  Falls  of  Ohio, 
with  a  small  force  of  volunteers,  for  the  British  posts 
on  the  Mississippi.  At  midnight  of  the  third  of  July, 
he  took  Kaskaskia  by  surprise  and  sent  the  command- 
ant, together  with  important  papers,  to  Williamf^burg. 


-■■5 
'1 


'I 


>  Heckewclder's  MS.  Biographical  Sketcii. 


m 


DAVID   ZIISDERGER. 


467 


In  the  same  way,  Piirradoruaki,  rft.  Philijij^s,  uiid 
Cahokia  fell  into  his  hands.  Vincennes,  wliero  the 
Blench  cletncnt  i»i'cdominated,  v(>liint:irily  yielded  as 
soon  as  he  had  conveyed  to  its  inhabitants  the  news 
of  the  alliance  between  France  and  tlio  American 
States, 

These  unexpected   disasters   roused   Governor  Ham- 
ilton, who  was   holding  a  treaty  with  the    Indians   at 
Detroit.     lie   gave  them  the  hatchet  anew,  and  urged  j 
them  to    more   general  and  \  iolent   assaults   upon   the  \ 
fronliers.     The   Delawares   who    were   present   in  vain 
attempted     to    advocate     peace.      Their    words    were  , 
scorned  and  their  towns  soon  filled  again  with  Wyandot/ 
and  Mingu  war-parties.     By  one  of  these  Hamilton  sent, 
the  Council  a  menacing  letter,  and  once  more,  and  "  for 
the  last  time,"  called  upon  it,  in  his  own  name  and  thatj 
of  the   confederate  nations,    to  join   them  against  the) 
Americans.     But    the    Council    replied:    "Years    agoj 
we  promised  Sir  Willian  Johnson  to  remain  at  peace) 
with  the  white  people,  and  this  promise  we  intend  to] 
keep." 

On  the  seventeenth  of  September,  an  Indian  treatjj^ 
on  the  AraericansidOj  took  place  at  Pittsburg.  Auuiew 
and  Thomas  Lewis,  special  commissioners  of  Congress, 
General  Mcintosh,  comnuu\der  of  the  Western  depart- 
ment, and  numerous  other  officers,  represented  the 
States.  It  was  stipulated,  on  the  one  hand,  that  the 
Americans  should,  at  any  time,  be  allowed  to  march 
troops  through  the  Delaware  country  and  erect  a  fort 
within    it ;    and,    on    the    other,    that    the    Delawares 


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LIFE  AND    TIMES   OF 


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{ should  bo    adinitted   to  u   pcM'petnal   alliance  and   cou- 

f  federation    with    the    United    States.*      But,   however 

propitioi.3  such  a  result  seemed  to  be,  this  very  treaty 

formed  one  of  the  reasons  of  the  subsequent  .nlienation 

of  the  Delawares.     Tno  ^•nmmi.'i^.f^ioners  secretly  ^ave  the 

war-belt  to  tjio  chiefs,  and  thus  subverted  the  whole  past 

policy  of"  their  youn^  republic.     It  was  an  unpardonable 

blunder.      Morgan,   who    was   absent   at    Philadelphia, 

condemned    the   proceedings   in    the   most   unqualified 

manner.     'There  never  was,"  he  wrote,  "a  conference 

(with  the  Indians  so  improperly  or  so  villainously  con- 

j  ducted  as  the  late  one  at  Pittsburg."     Similar  sentiments 

^he  expressed  in  a  letter  to  Zeisbcrger,  who  was  himself 

ihighly  displeased.     The  war-belt  was  in  flagraat  oppo- 

|sition  to  all  that  he  was  urging  in  the  Council  of  the 

y  Delawares,  by  the  request,  and  upon  the  authority  of 

I  the  Indian  agents.     It  is  not  likely,  however,  t^at  the 

commissioners  acted  under  instructions  from  Congress. 

The  measure  rather  seems  to  have  been  urged  by  the 

West,  in  retaliation  for  its  terrible  sufferings. 

Mcintosh  had  come  to  Pittsburg  in  the  spring,  with  a 
small  force  of  regulars,  for  the  defense  of  the  frontier, 


:^y 

R 


.    1  Taijlnr'd  Ohio,  291,  422,  etc.     At  this   treaty  White  Eyes'  fuvoritc 
;  scheme  of  !ui  indeyeiKlcnt  Delaware  nation  was  adopted  in  a  modified 
i  form.     One  of  the  articles  of  the  treaty  reads  as  follows  :  "  It  is  further 
agreed  on  between  the  eontractinij;  parties,  should  it  for  the  future  be 
.J found  conducive  for  the  mutual  interests  of  both  parties,  to  invite  any 
1  other  tribes,  who  have  been  friends  to  the  interests  of  the  U.  S.,  to 
join  in  the  present  confederation,  and  to  form  a  state,  whereof  the  Dela- 
ware nafiuu  shall  he  the  head,  and  have  a  representative  in  Congress  : 
provided  noll.in;,'  in  this  artich?  to  be  considered  us  conclusive  until  it 
meets  with  the  !ipi)robation  of  Congress." 


'liH  i 


and  con- 
however 
iry  treaty 
lienation 
^avc  the 
hole  past 
irdonable 
adelphia, 
1  qualified 
onferenee 
usly  con- 
ontiments 
s  himself 
aat  oppo- 
cil  of  the 
;hority  of 
,  t^at  the 
Congress, 
ed  by  the 

ig,  with  a 
J  frontier, 

yes'  favorite 
L  a  modi  lied 
It  is  further 
»o  future  be 
J  invite  nny 

ho  u.  a.,  to 

lof  the  Dolii- 
1  Congress  : 
isivo  until  it 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


469 


and  had  constructed  a  stockade  fort  at  Beaver,  named 
after  him,  with  four  bastions,  each  mounted  with  a  six- 
pounder.  Toward  the  end  of  September,  he  undertook 
an  expedition  against  the  Sandusky  towns.  Ilis  army 
consisted  of  about  one  thousand  men.  Upon  the 
Delitware  Council  he  had  made  a  requisition  for  two/ 
captains  and  sixty  warriors.  Whether  these  were  fur- 
nished does  not  appear,  but  Wlyte  .Eyes  joined  his 
command. 

As  soon  as  Zeisbergcr  heard  of  this  requisition,  he^. 
wrote  to  the  Board  and  ui'gedji^petition  to  Congress  for/ 
a  special  act  forbidding  the  officers  of  the  tJnited  States/' 
to  enlist  Christian  Indians.'  Such  an  enlistment,  how-] 
ever,  was  never  attempted. 

Mcintosh  encamped  at  Tuscarawas  and  built  Fort 
Laurens,  so  called  in  honor  of  the  President  of  Congress. 
This  delayed  him  so  long  that  advancing  winter  ren- 
dered the  further  campaign  impracticable.  Leaving  a 
garrison  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  under  Colonel 
Gibson,  he  prepared  to  move  back  to  Pittsburg." 

It  was    at    Tuscarawas — that    ancient    seat    of   theN 
aborigines  where  their  old    men  had,  for   generations,  1 
rehearsed  their  deeds  of  glory — that  White  Eyes,  one/  y./^  ''  . 
of  the  greatest  andbt^st  of  the  later  Tndiana.  finished  hisi^      '"'  ^ 
career,  in  the  midst  of  an  army  of  white  men  to  whonjj  ^' J_ 
he  had  ever  remained  true.     lie  died  of  the  small-pox, 
on  the  tenth  of  November,  1778.    No  unbaptized  native  J 


>  Letter  to  Bishop  Seidel,     B.  A. 
•  Doddridge's  Notes,  chap.  xxix. 


I 


i  f 


470 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


i 


of  any  tribe  or  name,  did  so  much  for  the  Mission  and 
the  Gospel.  The  period  in  which  ambition  alienated 
him  was  but  as  the  time  of  autumnal  clouds,  that  darken 
the  firmament  for  a  little  while,  and  then  leave  it 
brighter  and  clearer.  Where  his  remains  are  resting 
J  no  man  knows;  the  plowshare  has  often  furrowed  his 
grave.  But  his  name  lives;  and  the  Christian  may 
hope  that  in  the  resurrection  of  the  just  he,  too,  will 
be  found  among  the  great  multitude  redeemed  out  of 
every  kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people,  and  nation. 

White  Eyes'  death^  caused  deep  soitow  throughout  the 
Indian  country.  Runners  hastened  from  GoschachgUnk 
to  every  part  of  the  West  bearing  the  sad  intelligence; 
and  nuiny  embassies  were  sent  to  condole  with  the 
Delawares.  At  the  head  of  their  Council  now  stood 
Gelelcmcnd.  Big  Cat,  and  Tetepachkschus.  Captain 
Pipe  still  continued  the  leader  of  the  war  fa'^tiou. 

When  Governor  Hamilton  received  the  Council's 
answer  to  his  letter,  he  grew  infuriated,  and  devised 
means  to  wreak  his  vengeance  upon  the  councilors,  and 
especially  upon  Zeisberger,  whom  he  professed  to  regard 
as  an  emissary  of  the  Americans.  A  formidable  expe- 
dition against  GoschachgUnk  and  Lichtenau  was  set  on 
toot.  It  consisted  of  Indians  and  a  few  British  soldiers, 
and  was  commanded  by  two  ciptains.  Orders  were 
/given  to  bring  back,  without  fail,  the  heads  or  scalps  of 
iWhite_  E^^cs,  Gelelemend,  and  Zeisberger.'  The  day  of 
marching  was  already  fixed,  when,  suddenly,  both  cap- 


1  Zcisborger's  Letter  to  Bishop  Hchl,  .Jan.  4,  1779.     L.  A. 


DAVID   ZEISBEROER. 


471 


tains  (lied.  This  the  Indians  deemed  so  bad  an  omen 
that  the  undertaking  had  to  be  relinquished. 

Hamilton  now  incited  the  Wyandots,  Mingoes,  and 
seceding  Monseys  to  attack  the  Delawares.  They  re- 
fused, indeed,  to  lift  up  the  hatchet  against  them,  but 
began  an  assault  with  the  weapons  of  intrigue  that  was 
even  more  alarming.  Many,  and  among  the  converts 
too,  wavered  in  their  neutrality  and  clamored  for  war. 
At  last,  seeing  no  better  way  to  silence  such  outcries, 
the  Council  and  Zeisberger  dispatched  a  runner  to 
General  Mcintosh,  and  begged  hira  to  come  to  their 
aid  with  his  troops.  lie  was  on  the  point  of  breaking 
camp  at  Fort  Laurens,  and  immediately  complied  with 
the  request.  No  sooner  did  the  British  Indians,  who 
were  filling  Goschachgunk  and  Lichtenau  with  their 
plots,  hear  of  his  approach  than  they  hurried  off,  as 
Zeisberger  had  anticipated. 

In  the  beginning  of  1779,  an  army  of  several  hundred 
Shawanese,  AVyandots,  and  Mingoes  passed  through 
Lichtenau  on  their  Avay  to  Fort  Laurens,  which  they 
besieged  for  six  weeks,  reducing  the  garrison  to  terrible 
straits.  Soon  after  they  had  raised  the  siege,  Mcintosh 
arrived  with  supplies  and  a  relief  of  seven  hundred  men. 
Major  Vernon  assumed  the  command  of  the  post,  and 
Mcintosh  returned  to  Pittsburg,  where  he  was  relieved 
by  Colonel  Daniel  Brodhead. 


'(  1 


472 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


p 

P 

li 

1 

CHAPTER   XXIX. 

LICHTENAU  ABANDONED  AND  NEW  SCHONBRUNN  AND  SALEM 

BUILT.— 1779,  1780. 

The  border  war  abating. — Governor  Hamilton  taken  prisoner. — Di- 
vision of  the  Christian  Indians  into  three  colonies. — Founding  of 
New  Schiinbrunn. — Simon  Girty's  attempt  to  capture  or  kill  Z  '.sber- 
ger. — A  second  attempt  to  murder  him. — Tlio  campaign  against  the 
Iroquois. — Lichtenau  deserted  and  Salem  built. — Arrival  of  new  mis- 
sionaries.— Marriage  of  John  Hcckewelder. — Adam  Grube's  visit. — 
Michael  Jung. — Prosperity  of  the  Mission. — The  Delawares  scatter 
find  mostly  join  the  British  Indian  . 

The  border  war  was  abating.  Governor  Hamilton,  the 
main  instigator  of  it,  could  no  longer  promote  its  cruel- 
ties. After  having  recaptured  Vincenues,  which  he 
found  garrisoned  by  a  captain  and  one  private  only,  he 
fell  into  the  power  of  Major  Clark,  who  suddenly  made 
his  appearance  a  second  time  at  this  post  and  took  it 
"by  assan.lt  (February  24,  1779).  The  "hair  buyer"  was 
carried  to  "Williamsburg,  where  the  Virginia  Council 
ordered  him  to  be  confined  in  irons  and  fed  on  bread 
and  water,  as  a  punishment  for  his  barbarities.  But 
Washington  interposed,  and  secured  for  him  the  treat- 
ment of  a  prisoner  of  war. 

Zeisberger  new  determined  to  divide  the  Christian 
Indians  into  tt.ree  colonies  again.  They  had  spent  a 
year  at  Lichtenau,  and  had  been  a  shining  light  to  their 
neighbors  and  hundreds  of  warriors  from  the  Western 
villages.     But  the_permanent  success  of  the  Mission 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


473 


required  smaller  churches,  as  soon  as  the  w^ir  would 
admit  of  their  reorj^anizatiou.  Besides,  there  no  longer^, 
existed  that  cordiality  between  him  and  the  Delaware! 
Council  which  had  prevailed  while  White  Eyes  was  its 
ruling  mind.  Tetepachkschiis  and  Big  Cat,  as  we  said 
in  a  former  chapter,  were  secret  enemies  of  the  Gospel, 
and  although  Gelclemend  ranked  among  its  supporters, 
he  was  too  weak  a  character  to  be  its  champion. 

Th£_di vis^n  tooly^place  on  the  sixth  of  April,  1779. 
EdwardSjWith  a  part  of  the  converts,  reoccupied  Gna- 
denhiitten;  Zeisberger,  with  another  part,  proceeded  to 
Schbubrunn,  which  had  been  destroys i  in  the  course , of 
the  war,  and  encaniped  amid  its  ruijis ;  tljiiJcg^^tsJltSLi'sd 
at  Lichtenau  in  charge  of  Ileckewelder. 

Nearly  opposite  to  the  Big  Spring,  on  the  western 
bank  of  the  Tuscarawas,  were  broad  and  fruitful  bot- 
toms skirted  by  a  plateau  that  extended  to  the  foot  of 
the  hills.  Ilcre^Zei&berger's  colony  began  a  new^tov^ii,,'^ 
It  progressed  but  slowly,  and  for  eight  months  theyj 
lived  in  their  encampment  close  by  the  spring. 

Zeisberger  passed  much  of  liis  time  in  visitin^  thev 
other  stations,  especially  at  Communion-sea^son^.  In 
the  early  part  of  July,  he  spent  such  a  season  at 
Lichtenau,  and  was  about  to  return  to  Schbnbrunn, 
when  Alexander  McCormick,  a  trader  and  friend  of 
the  Mission,  arrived  with  evil  tidings.     McKee,  Elliotj^ 


>i  '! 


•  It  was  situated  on  what  is  now  (18G3)  the  farm  of  Mr.  John  Gray,  in 
Goshen  Township,  Tuscarawas  County,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  Lock- 
port,  and  one  and  a  quarter  miles  south  of  New  Philadelphia.  In  con- 
structing the  Ohio  Canal,  a  part  of  its  site  was  dug  away. 


T 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OP 


?Tj 


in ! 


TiT 


/and    Girty,   he    said,   wore    still    plotting  Zcisberger's 
I  ruin ;  a  party  of  Indians,  led  by  Girty  himself,  was  on 
j  his   trail,   with   orders   either    to    bring    him   alive  to 
;  Detroit,  or  to  shoot  him  down  and  take  his  scalp.    It 
,  was  a  most  timely  warning,  to  which,   however,  he 
\  listened  unmoved,  and  mounted  his  horse  to  go.     "My 
(life,"  he  said  to  Ileckewelder,  who  would  have  detained 
I  him,  "is  in  the  hands  of  God.     How  often  has  not 
I  Satan  d?sired  to  murder  me?     But  he  dare  not!     I 
i  shall  ride  to  Schonbrunn."     Seeing  that  he  was  not 
f  to  be  kept  back,  Ileckewelder  persuaded  him  to  take 
■  along  a  guard  of  Indians.     To  this  he  conseiited,  but  as 
'their  horses  could  not  immediately  be  found,  he  pro- 
ceeded alone,  calling  back:    "I  will  slowly  push  on; 
send  the  Brethren  after  me;  farewell!"     A  short  dis- 
tance from  Lichtenau,  the   trail   forked,   one    branch 
leading  to  a  salt-lick  about  two  miles  distant.     Down 
this  branch  he  turned,  lost  in  raedit?tion,  and  did  not 
perceive  his  mistake  until  he  had  advanced  a  consider- 
;  able  distance.     Retracing  his  steps,  he  got  to  the  fork 
j  just  as  his  escort  came  up.     If  he  had  not  missed  the 
road  they  would  not  have  overtaken  him,  and  he  would 

•  have  been   at  the  mercy  of  his  enemies.     For,  sud- 
"^  denly,  at  the  foot  of  a  little  hill,  Simon  Girty  and  his, 

band  stood  before  them.  "  That's  the  man !"  cried 
:  Girty  to  the  Indian  captain,  pointing  out  Zeisberger. 
i"Now  do  what  you  have  been  told  to  do!"  But  in 
I  that  instant  there  burst  through  the  bushes  two  athletic 

*  young  hunters  of  Goschachglink.     Divining  at  a  glance 
\  the  posture  of  afliiirs,  they  placed  themselves  in  front 


sbergcr's 
,  was  on 
alive  to 
icalp.    It 
^ever,  he 
o.     "  My 
detained 
has  not 
not !     I 
was  not 
1  to  take 
;d,  but  as 
,  he  pro- 
lush  on ; 
short  dis- 
3    branch 
:.     Down 
i  did  not 
consider- 
the  fork 
lissed  the 
he  would 
For,  sud- 
y  and  his 
i!"  cried 
lisbergcr. 
But  in 
D  athletic 
a  glance 
in  front 


'    7  ' 


1  • 


DAVID  ZEISDERQER. 


475 


'^\r 


of  Zeisberger,  drew  their  tomahawks,  and  began  de- 
liberately to  load  their  rifles.  As  soon  as  the  Wyandot 
captain  saw  this,  and  moreover  recognized  among  Zeis- 
bergcr's  escort  the  great  Glikkikan,  he  shook  his  head, 
motioned  to  his  men,  and  disappeared  with  them  in  the 
forest.  Girty  followed  him,  gnashing  his  teeth  in 
impotent  rage.' 

Not  lon^  after  this,  Zeisberger  was  again  in  immineiit 
danger.     An  Indian  noted  for  his  inveterate  enmity  to 
the  Gospel  came  to  Schbnbrunn,  and  sought  an  inter- 
view with  him.      The    usual    salutations  of  friendship 
were  interchanged.      But,  suddenly,  drawing  a  toma- 
hawk, which  ho  had  secreted  under  his  blanket,  the 
savage  exclaimed,  with   a  fierce   gleam   of   his    eyes. 
"  You  are  about  to  see  your  grandfathers!"^ — lifted  up  ' 
his  arm,  and  was  in  the  act  of  striking  the  fatal  blow, ' 
when   Boaz,  a  convert,  who  suspected  and  had  been/ 
closely    watching   him,   sprang  forward  and  wrenched) 
the   weapon   from   his   hand.      Zeisberger    maintained] 
"his   usual    presence  of  mind,"    says    Mortimer,   from\ 
whom  we  have  this  incident,^  and  spoke  to  him  witht 
such  "serious  friendliness"  that  the  man  repented  of(  .;<»>         <^ 
his  sins,  joined  the  Mission,  and,  in  the  course  of  tirae,^ 
was  baptized,  receiving   the    name  of  Isaac.      He   re-1   n:'. 


/ 


1  ,j 


-*J^ 


X>L 


y 


V. 


'  Heckewolder's  MS.  Biographical  Sketch. 

*  This  was  a  common  saying  among  tlio  Indians  when  thcy"^ 
murdered  a  man,  or  supposed  that  he  was  otherwise  on  the  point,j 
of  death. 

'  Mortimei-'s  Journal,  December,  1779.  MS.  B.  A.  Mortimer,  of] 
whom  more  will  be  said  in  another  connection,  was  Zeisberger's  assistant  \ 
during  the  last  years  of  hia  life, 


<•?.. 


HI 


"TT 


476 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  0^ 


''maiued  a  worthy   nicinbcr  of   the    Church   until  the 
general  dispersion,  and  held  out  bravely  against  the 

'  seductions  of  heathenism  even  when  he  was  separated 

'  from  his  teacheis. 

In  the  same  summer  in  which  Zeisberger  was  thus 
marvelously  delivered  out  of  the  hands  of  his  enemies, 
a  terrible  retribution  overwhelmed  the  Iroquois,  in 
whom  he  continued  to  take  a  deep  interest.  The 
valleys  of  the  Mohawk  and  the  Scoharie,  where  they 
had  been  raging  with  the  brand  and  the  tomahawk, 
and  the  nameless  atrocities  of  the  Wyoming  massacre, 
called  for  vengeance,  and  the  Americans  prepared  to 
strike  a  fearful  blow.  Washington  himself  planned  the 
campaign,  which  was  intrusted  to  General  Sullivan. 
On  the  last  day  of  July,  1779,  the  army  marched 
from  Wyoming,  and,  toward  the  end  of  August,  de- 
feated the  allied  Indians  and  British,  eighteen  miles 
above  Tioga  Point.  For  an  entire  month,  the  besom 
of  destruction  swept  over  the  Iroquois  country. 
Orchards,  fields,  towns,  and  every  other  vestige  of 
culture  were  demolished.  About  the  same  time, 
Colonel  Brodhead  marched  to  the  head-waters  of 
the  Alleghany,  "burned  many  villages,  laid  waste  five 
hundred  acres  of  corn,  and  captured  a  valuable 
booty  of  pelts.  In  spite  of  these  reverses,  however, 
(the    Six    Nations   were    not    subdued.      They   merely 

j  abandoned  their  hunting-grounds. 

Toward  the  end  of  the  year  (December,  1779),  Zeis- 
bgrger's  colony  moved  into  their  town,  which  recejved 
tji^  name  of  New  Schonbrunn;   and  in  the  spring  of 


■ 


7. 


t 


DAVID  ZEISBEBOER. 


477 


until  tlu 

gainst  the 

separated 

was  thus 
8  enemies, 
oqiiois,  in 
est.      The 
t'here  thoj 
tonuiluiwk, 
massacre, 
repared  to 
lanned  the 
Sullivan, 
marched 
LUgust,  de- 
teen  miles 
the   besom 
country, 
vestige   of 
ime    time, 
waters   of 
waste  five 
valuable 
however, 
)y   merely 

r79),  Zeis- 
I  recejved 
spring  of 


1780,  Ileckewelder's  division  left  Liohtenau  (Ai)ril  6th), 
in  order  to  begin  a  settlement  farther  up  the  valley.  It 
was  an  exodus  which  the  conduct  both  of  the  Goschach- 
giink  Indians  and  of  the  Wyandot  and  Mingo  warriors 
rendered  necessary.  The  former  wore  growing  more 
and  more  unfriendly;  the  latter  had  made  Lichtenau 
a  place  of  rendezvous  and  the  starting-point  for  a  new 
war-path  to  the  Ohio. 

A   few  miles  from   Gnadenhiitten,  on  the   site  of'a* 
Delaware  village,  the  inhabitants   of  which   had  been 
removed  by  the  Council,  in   a  beautiful  plain  on  the  * 
western  bank  of  the  Tuscarawas,  Ileckewelder  founded  i 
the  town  of  Salem.* 

In  its  chapel,  dedicated  on  the  twenty-second  of  May, 
there  gathered,  on  the  fourth  anniversary  of  American 
Independence  (July  4,  1780),  a  large  congregation  of 
Indians  from  the  three  towns,  together  with  the  whole 
Mission  family,  recently  increased  by  the  arrival  of 
Gottlob  Senseman,  Mrs.  Sensenian,  and  Miss  Sarah 
Ohncberg.  In  the  presence  of  this  assembly,  that  veteran 
missionary,  Adam   Grube,  whom   the   Board  had   senl;^' 


1  It  wiis  .«ituatod  in  Salem  '  wnsliip,  Tusciirawurt  County,  one  and  a 
half  niilos  southwost  of  Port  Washington,  on  what  is  now  (1803)  Mr. 
Honry  Stoclcpr's  farni,jur-t  o[)posito  throo  bald  hill-tops,  and  between 
the  track  of  the  Stcubenville  and  Indiana  Railroad  and  the  Tuscarawas 
River.  On  the  twentieth  of  .Tunc,  1863,  Mr.  Blickonsderfer,  to  whom 
I  have  referred  in  a  ft)rnaer  note,  and  I  dis(!0vered  the  site  of  Salem. 
The  plain  in  which  it  stood  was  well  known;  but  we  succeeded  in 
identifying  the  very  spot  which  it  once  occupied,  and  clearly  traced 
the  line  of  its  houses  by  the  discoloration  of  the  soil,  at  regular  in- 
tervals, in  a  field  of  young  corn,  and  by  numerous  relics  which  we 
dug  up. 


I 


t 


t,    f 


478 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


¥U 


'slll 


■\  -r 


(^ 


/  ^ 


on  au  official  visit  to  the  valley,  united  John  Ilecke- 
jvveldcr  and  Miss  Ohnebcrg  in  marriage.     It  was,  doubt- 
(less,  the  first  wedding  of  a  white  couple  in  the  present 
State  of  Ohio.i 

Grube  spent  six  weeks  at  the  Mission,  in  conference 
with  his  brethren,  and  then  went  back  to  Bethlohcni  to 
report  to  the  Board.  In  the  following  autumn,  Michael 
Jung  arrived  as  Edward's  assistant.''  Sensoman  was 
stationed  at  New  Schbnbrunn,  and  Zeisberger,  as  super- 
intendent of  the  Mission,  itinerated  from  church  to 
church.  The  whole  year  was  one  of  peace  and  pros- 
perity, distinguished,  too,  by  the  return  of  the  rest  of 
the  apostate  Monseys.  In  the  course  of  the  winter, 
"Zeisberger  wrote  that  lengthy  account  of  the  manners 
and  customs  of  the  North  American  Indians  which 
forms  the  basis  of  the  Introduction  to  Loskiel's  History 
of  the  Mission.^ 


'  The  party  from  Bethlehem,  consisting  of  Grubc,  Senseman,  Mrs. 
Senseman,  and  Miss  Ohneberg,  was  escorted  from  Pittsburg  to  Schon- 
brunn  by  a  number  of  Christian  Indians.  Upon  those  three  American 
scouts  tired  from  an  ambush,  in  spite  of  the  presence  of  white  persons, 
with  tlio  intention  of  talking  their  .scalps,  for  which  bounties  were  now 
paid.  A  bullet  passed  tlirough  tlie  sleeve  of  the  Indian  leading  Grubc's 
horse. 

2  Michael  Jung  was  born,  January  5,  174.3,  ac  Engoldsheim,  in  the  old 
province  of  Elsass,  or  Alsace,  in  Germany.  His  parents  belonged  to  the 
Keformed  Church.  In  1751,  ho  immigrated  with  them  to  America. 
They  settled  at  Broadbay,  in  Maine,  whce  he  joined  the  Moravian 
Church.     In  17G7,  ho  proceeded  to  Bethlehem,  and  remained  an  inniate 

,  of  the  Brethren's  House  until  he  was  called  to  serve  tlio  Indian  Mission, 
«  in  1*780".  Ho  was  a  faithful  missionary,  and  labored  among  the  Indians 
I  for  thirty-three  years.  In  1813,  he  retired  to  Litiz,  Pa.,  wbere  he 
Idled  December  13,  1826. 

3  Comp.  chop.  ii.  note  2. 


^ 


DAVID  ZEISBERQER. 


479 


Meantime  Captain  Pipe  had  gained  the  ascendency 
at  Goscliachgiink.     Gelelemend  and  those  of  his  coun- 
cilors who  sided  with   the  Americans    fled   from   the 
town  ;  the  most  of  the  other  cliiefs  were  scattered  ;  the'] 
great  council-tire  which   Netawatwes  and  AYiii^eEyes, 
had  made  to  burn  with  so  bright  a  flame  was  dying  out. 
Distracted,  without  a  proper  head  and  a  national  center, 
the  majority  of  the  Delawares  yielded  to  the  persuasions 
of  the  British  Indians  and  joined  them.     Pipe  built  a 
town  near  the  Half  King's,  and  stood  in  open  league 
with  him  against  the  United  States.     When  this  aliena- 
tion became  known  to  the  converts,  they  renounced,  by 
several  formal  embassies,  all  further  fellowship  with  the 
Delawares. 


i 


I 

1 ' 


If. 


48' 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER   XXX. 

ZEISBERGCR'S  MARRIAGE  AND  LAST  VISIT  TO  THE   SETTLE- 

MENTS.— 1781. 

Zeisbergcr  vi.'its  Bothlchcni. — Bishop  Keichcl — Interview  with  Presi- 
dent Kood  at  Phihidelphia. — Zoisborger's  views  on  the  expediencj'  of 
his  remaining  a  single  man. — Yields  to  the  persuasions  of  his  friends 
and  marries. — Broadhead's  expedition  against  the  Delawares. — His 
proposal  to  the  niissionarii^s — The  Christian  towns  disturbed  by  war- 
parties. — Narrow  e.seape  of  Edwards  and  Jung. — Zeisbergcr  returnb 
to  the  Mission  with  his  wife  and  Jungmann. 

In  the  spring  of  1781,  Zeisbergcr  visited  Bethlehem  in 

order  to  attend  a  Synod  convened  by  Bishop  Heichel,* 

livoxn.  Germany,  who  had   been  spending  two  years  in 

ithe  United  States  on  an  official  visit  to  the  Moravian 

'churches.     He  found  his  old  friend.  Bishop  Seidel,  with 
i'  ■  ,  _ 

jwhom  he  had  followed  up  many  a  forest-trail,  weak  anu 

iv.;eary,  longing  to  be  at  rest.     But  the  other  members 

jof  the  Bo.vrd — Ettwein,  Schweinitz,  and  Huebener — 


'  John  Frederick  Reichcl  was  born  at  Obi'rliidel,  in  Altenburg,  in  1731, 
and  was  the  son  of  the  Rev.  Jacob  Daniel  lleichel,  of  the  Lutheran 
Church.  Having  studied  ot  Jena,  he  took  charge  of  the  parish  of 
Taubenheim.  In  1758,  ho  resigned  this  parish,  joined  the  I.oravians, 
and  became  pastor  of  the  church  at  Nisky,  I'russia.  In  1709,  he  was 
eleeted  to  the  General  Executive  Board  of  thn  Unitas  Fratrum,  and  in 
1775  consecrated  bishop.     He  died  November  17,  1809. 

'John  Andrew  Huebener  (born  June  10,  ''737,  at  Ascherslcben,  in 
Halberstadt^  joined  the  Moravian  Chu'-ch  in  1759,  and  filled  various 
oflicos  in  Germany.  In  1780,  he  came  to  America  as  a  member  of  the 
Mission  Board  and  pastor  of  tho  churcL  at  Bethlehem.    In  1790,  ho  was 


J  i 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


481 


were  in  the  midst  of  their  activity,  which  the  complica- 
tions of  the  Revolutionary  War  rendered  both  arduous 
and  embarrassing. 

After  the  adjournment  of  the  Synod,  Zeisberger  pro- 
ceeded  to   Philadelphia  with   a  letter  of  introduction 
from  Colonel  Broadhead  to  President  Reed,  of  the  Su- 
preme Executive  Council  of  Pennsylvania.       Brodhead 
wrote:  "1  have  requested  him  to  go  to  Philadelphia,  as 
I  expected  the  Honorable  Executive  Council,  Congress,  ' 
and  the  Board  of  War  would  be  glad  of  an  opportunity' 
to  examine  him  respecting  his  Mission  and  the  disposi-  ■ 
tion  of  the  Indians  in  general.     Tie  is  a  faithful  man,' 
and  what  he  says  may  be  relied  on."^    President  Reed 
received  him  with  great  distinction,  and  thanked  him,>; 
in  the   name   of  the    whole   country,    for  his   services^ 
among  the  Indians,  particularly  for  his  Christian   hu-. 
manity  iii  turning  back  so  many  war-parties  that  were* 
on  their  way  to  rapine  and  massacre.^ 

Zeisberger  now  spent  several  weeks  in  conference^ 
with  Bishop  Reichel  and  the  Mission  Board.  He  was/ 
sixty  jg^ears  of  age,  thirtyj-seven  of  which  had  been^ 
devoted  to  the  service  of  God  among  the  Indians.! 
Of  days  of  comfort,  or  the  cheering  presence  of  a  wife! 
and  the  joys  of  a  family,  he  had  scarcely  thoughtj 
Indeed,  applying  the   contrast  drawn   by  the  Apostle 


y 


consecrated  bishop,  and  took  up  his  residence  at  Litiz,  of  which  church 
he  was,  at  the  same  time,  the  j)astor.  In  1801,  lie  was  elected  a  -nembor 
of  the  General  'Joard  in  Europe,  and  filled  that  office  until  his  death, 
December  20,  1809. 

'  Ponn.  Arcliivcs,  ix,  57. 

» Philadelphia  Diary,  May,  1781.    MS.  P.  A. 


♦•■•   f. 


-V/ 


; 


482 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


■«-  I! 


K- 


L 


Paul  between  the  married  and  single  state*  to  the  cir- 
cumstances and  work  of  his  own  life,  he  had  long  since 
jmade  up  his  mind  never  to  marry.^  On  this  occasion, 
however,  his  friends  urged  him  to  abandon  such  a 
/determination,  reminding  him  of  the  dreariness  of  his 
old  age,  on  a  distant  frontier,  without  a  helpmate.  He 
''yielded  to  these  persuasions,  and  made  proposals  of 
marriage  to  Miss  Susan  Lecron,  of  Litiz,  who  accepted 
him.^ 

On  the  first  of  June,  he  left  Bethlehem,  which  he  had 
j  helped  to  found  forty  years  ago,  and  which  lie  never 
1  saw  again,  and,  in  the  evening  of  Whit-Monday  (June 
j  4th),  the  marriage  took  place  in  the  church  at  Litiz,  the 

I  patriarch  Grube  performing  the  ceremony. 
I,, 

During   Zeisberger's   absence,  events  of   importance 

transpired  in  the  Tuscarawas  valley.     Informed  of  the 
disaiiection  of  the  Dolawares,  Colonel  Brodhead  organ- 
ized an  expedition  of  about  three  hundred  men,  nearly 
one-half  of  whom  were  volunteers,  and  having  rendez- 
voused at  Wheeling,  where  he  was  joined  by  John  Mon- 
/tour  and  several  friendly  Indians,  advanced  into  their 
I  country  to  punish  them  for  their  breach  of  faith.     By  a 
i  rapid  march  he  surprised  Goschachgiink  and  Lichtcnaii, 
"^  in  the  evening  of  the  nineteenth  of  April,  killing  fii- 
iteeu  warriors  and  taking  twenty  prisoners.     Among  the 
jlatter  were  five  Christian  Indians,  from  Salem,  on  a  visit 


»  I.  Cor    vii.  !52,  33. 

*  Hcckowcldcr's  MS.  Biographical  Slcetch. 

'Susan  Lecron  was  born  at  Lancaster,  Pa.,  February  17,  1744.  In 
1758,  lipr  parents,  •who  were  Lutherans,  removed  with  her  to  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Litiz,  whore  she  joined  the  Moravian  Church. 


■«ll 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


488 


to  their  former  homo.  These  he  set  at  liberty.  P>ut. 
as  they  were  going  up  the  Muskingum  iu  a  canoe,  some 
of  the  militia,  contrary  to  orders,  stealtliily  followed  and 
made  a  furious  attack  upon  them  from  a  convenient 
ambush.  The  converts  took  to  the  hills,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  Salem  with  but  one  of  their  number 
wounded. 

Having  destroyed  both  Goschachgiink  and  Lichte- 
nau,^  together  with  the  corn,  poultry,  and  cattle  of  the 
Indians,  the  army  proceeded  up  the  valley  to  Gekolo- 
muckpechiink,  where  Gclelcmend  and  the  remnant  of 
friendly  Delawares  were  living.  At  the  request  of 
Brodhead,  the  missionaries  and  native  assistants  visited 
his  camp.  He  proposed  to  them  to  break  up  their  set- 
tlements and  iccompany  him  to  Pittsburg.  It  was  a 
well-meant  overture.  The  Delawares  having  joined  the 
British  Indians,  the  Mission  Avould  be  exposed  to  their 
attacks.  But,  in  the  very  nature  of  the  case,  the  invi- 
tation could  not  be  accepted.  Gelolemend  and  his 
band,  however,  were  glad  to  profit  by  a  similar  offer, 
and  put  themselves  under  the  protection  of  the  United 
States.  The  rest  of  the  nation  had  set  up  their  lodges 
in  the  Wyandot  country,  among  the  Shawanese,  and 
farther  west ;  so  that  the  entire  valley  of  the  Tusca- 
rawas now  embraced  no  Indians  other  than  the  Chris- 
tian converts  in  their  three  towns. 

Brodhead's  apprehensions  were  fulfilled.  A  few 
days  after  his  departure,  a  body  of  eighty  savages,  led  by 


'  After  tho  exodus  of  the  Christian  Indians,  Lichtonim  win  occupied 
by  the  Delaware?,  who  named  it  Indaoehaio. — Penn.  Archives,  ix.  161. 


i{  ;; 


1? 


isssa 


oars: 


"Pf" 


484 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


I    f 


■liii. 


n 


P 


./• 


/ 


Puchgantschihillas,  u  noted  Delaware  captain,  surprised 

Gnadcuhiitten,  demanding  the  surrender  of  Gelelemeud 

and  his  followers.     When  it  was  found  that  this  party 

had  retired  to  Pittsburg,  the  Delaware  band  endeavortd 

to  break  up  the  Mission  by  persuading  the  converts  to 

seek  a  refuge  among  the  Wjandots.     Some  of  the  war- 

;  riors  made  three  several   attempts   to  murder  Hecke- 

i  welder,  whom  they  considered  a  stumbling-bTock^in  the 

I  way  of  their  purpose.    At  last,  alarmed  by  a  false  icport 

4  of  the  approach  of  an  American  army,  they  departed, 

.  carrying  with  them  more  than  a  dozen  of  the  Salem 

\  Indians,  who  renounced  the  Gospel   and  fell  back  into 

I  heathenism.     As  he  was  about  leaving  the  town,  Pach- 

I  gantschihillas,   with    almost    the   vision   of    a  prophet, 

j  warned   the  converts  against   raids  on  the  part  of  the 

1  Americans.     "  If  you  pass  safely  through  this  war,"  he 

said,  "  and  I  see  you  all  alive  at  the  close  of  it,  I  will 

]  regret  not  to  have  joined  your  Mission." 

After  tliis,  marauding-parties    prowled   through   the 

valley,  stealing   horses   and  whatever   else   they  could 

iind.     One  of  these  parties  lay  in  ambush  near  a  field 

of  Gnadenhiitten.      Into  this  Held  came  Edwards  and 

Jung,  and  began  to  plant  potatoes.     Instantly  seven  of 

'  the   savages   cocked  their   rifles,  took   aim,  and  were 

upon  the  point  of  shooting  them  down,  when  the  cap- 

^  tain,   seized   by  an    unaccountable  impulse   of   mercy, 

persuaded  his  men  to  spare  their  lives.     The  band  crept 

away,  and  the  two  missionaries  continued  working  in  the 

^lield,  ignorant  of  the  death  which  had  threatened  them. 

On  the  twelfth  of  June,  Zeisberger  and  his  wife,  to- 


if 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


48.0 


n,  surprised 

Gelelemend 

it  this  party 

endeavored 

converts  to 

of  the  war- 

•der  Hocke- 

block  in  the 

-  false  1  oport 

!y  departed, 

'  the  Salem 

11  back  into 

town,  Pach- 

a  prophet, 

part  of  the 

his  war,"  he 

;  of  it,  I  will 

through  the 
they  could 
near  a  field 
Idwards  and 
itly  seven  of 
I,  and  were 
I  en  the  cap- 
•■  of  mercy, 
3  band  crept 
rking  in  the 
tened  them, 
his  wife,  to- 


gether with  John  Jungmann  and  Mrs.  Jungmann,  who) 
had  consented  to  resume  their  labors  among  the  Indians,  • 
set  out   from    Litiz   for   the  West.     They  traveled   on 
horseback,  and,  after   crossing   the  Alleghanies,  found 
them^2lve8  in  such  constant  danger  from  the  savages, 
who  were  on  the  war-path  in  great  numbers,  that  they 
took  refuge  in  New  Store,  on  the  Monongabcla,  eighteen 
miles   from   Pittsburg,  whither    Zeisberger    proceeded 
alone  for  a  boat  and  guard  of  soldiers.     At  the  fort  an 
escort  of  twenty  Christian  Indians  awaited  them,  under  - 
whose    protection    they  reached   New  Schonbrunu    in  J 
safety,  on  the  fifteenth  of  July. 


ft? 

!1 


\ 


k  I 


;      , 


-7P— " 


486 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER    XXXI 

CAPTURE    OF    THE    MISSIONARIES,  AND     OVERTHROW    OF    THE 
MISSION   ON    THE   TUSCARAWAS.— 1781. 

Tlifi  Mission  family  and  its  labors. — Causes  of  thcovortlirowof  the  work 
in  the  Tusciiriiwas  valley. — An  expedition  against  the  Christian  towns 
planned. — Tlu'  tribes  that  took  j  art  in  it,  and  their  motives. — Intelli- 
gence of  the  upproaehing  raid. — Arrival  of  the  Wyandot  llalf  Kinj,' 
and  his  warriors. — Elliot  the  British  eaptain. — Friendly  words  and 
base  purposes. — McCormick  and  liis  secret  information. — Zcisberger's 
trust  in  God. — Arrival  of  more  warriors. — The  encampment  ut  Gna- 
donhiitten. — Speeches  of  the  Half  King,  and  reply  of  the  Chri.«tiaii 
Indians. — Diti'erenees  of  opinion  among  tlie  latter. — Zeisbcrgor's  nirs- 
sngo  to  liethlehem. — Quarrels  between  Elliot  and  the  w;  -riors. — He 
insists  upon  the  seizure  of  the  missionaries.— The  Half  King  and  his 
Council  deciding  their  fate. — Hesitation  of  the  savages  to  take  their 
lives. — The  missionaries  refuse  to  flee. — The  morning  service  of  tlui 
third  of  Sept-rnber  at  Gnadenluitten. — Final  demand  of  the  Iliill" 
Kin;.r.  and  answer  of  the  missionaries. — Their  motives  in  giving  this 
answer. — They  are  seized  and  held  as  captives. — The  night  of  the 
third  of  yej)temlK>r. — Their  wives  are  seized  and  brought  to  Gnadcii- 
hiitten. — Scalp-ylls. — Flight  of  a  young  squaw  with  the  news  to 
Pittsburg. — Anger  of  the  warriors. — Capture  and  release  of  Glikki- 
kan. — The  missionaries  set  free  on  promising  to  leave  the  valley  with 
their  converts. — Their  last  Communion  at  Salem. — The  news  at  Beth- 
lehem. 


\m'- 


There  were  now  six  missionaries  on  the  Tuseara\yas :' 
ZGisber^erjind  Jiinginaiui  at  New  Schonbrunn ;  Sjense- 

,  1  Sources  for  this  chapter  are :  Diary  of  Bethlehem,  April  to  Doccni- 
'  ber,  1781,  MS.  B.  A. ;  Diary  of  Litiz,  April,  1781,  MS.  L.  A. ;  Zcis- 
berger's Journal  of  1781,  compendium,  in  his  own  handwriting, 
MS.  B.  A.;  the  same  journal  uku'c  in  detail,  copied,  AIS.  B.  A.;  Ilccko- 
welder's  Diary  of  Salem,  1781,  MS.  B.  A.;  Ileckewelder's  English 
Narrative  of  th(!  Capture  of  tlu;  Mi.ssionurics  and  Massacre  of  the  In- 


i't-:!:: 


-Y^r- 


DAVIE  ZEISBERGER. 


487 


kV    OF    THE 


Jt 


man^  and  William  Edwards  at  Gnadenliiitton ;   IlcJkc- 
wcldcr  and  Michael  Jung  at  Salem.     They  all  zealously 
preached  the  Word,  dispensed  the  sacraments,  instructed, 
the  children,  comforted  the  aged,  and  ministered  to  the/ 
sick;  while  their  wives  went  about  among  tlie  women,'  ?/,'. 
taught  them  to  be  Christian  mothers  and  fill  the  posi- 
tion which   the   Gospel   assigns    to   their   sex.      Peace 
reigned  in    the  churches,  until  that  storm  burst  upon  < 
them  which  swept  them  from  the  valley.     The  elements  ' 
which  produced  it  had  silently  been  gathering  ever  sincej 
the  commencement  of  the  war. 

Placed  in  the  heart  of  a  country  which  lay  between 
the  frontier  settlements  of  the  Americans  and  the  west- 
ern  posts  of  the  British,  the  situation  of  the  mission- 
aries was,  in  th:  highest  degree,  embarrassing.  They 
and  their  people  were  neutral.  But,  while  they  never 
attempted  to  interfere  with  legitimate  warfare,  the  case 
was  different  in  regard  to  the  massacres  perpetrated  by 
the  Indians.  They  werepledged  bj^^heir  responsibjlities 
to  God  to  prevent  such  massacres,  as  far  as  lay  in  their 
power.  It  was  not  enough  to  theorize  in  the  Delaware 
Council  upon  the  wickedness  of  burning  homesteads  and 
butchering  women  and  children.  Their  sacred  office, 
their  ordination  vows,  the  Gospel  which  they  proclaimed, 
all  forbade  them  to  enjoy  the  security  of  their  houses  and 
rich  abundance  of  their  plantations,  without  bestirring 


{ 


'*^'». 


^^^  j 


'■■*-C.-^ 


dians,  1781  and  1782,  MS.  B.  A.;  Ileckcweldor's  Biographical  Sketch 
of  Zeisbcrgcr,  MS.  Lib.  Morv.  Hist.  Soc;  Uockewcldor'.s  Corrections  of( 
Loskii'l's    Ili.^tory  of    the    Captiiro   of    the    3Ii.ssionarics,  JIS.  B.  A.;| 
Jungniann's  Autobiography,  MS.  B.  A.;  Susii3iia.2Ieisbergcr'§  j^utobi- 
*'2^''ElliL;..M.^iJi;,-^-i  ru"i-  Col.  liecords,xii.  xiii.;  Penn.  Archives,  ix. 


f 


488 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


|M 


Nl 


X 


themselves  to  save  other  non-combatants  from  death, 
^ence  they  frequently  persuaded  war-parties,  stopping  in 
their  towns,  to  turn  back,  and,  by  request  of  the  Delaware 
Council,  wrote  letters  to  the  commandant  at  Pittsburg 
reporting  the  movements  of  the  savages.    But  these  acts 
were  not  the  acts  of  American  spies.     They  were  not 
performed  in  the  interests  of  the  Americans  politically 
considered;  they  were  done  in  the  name  of  humanity 
and  by  the  authority  of  the  Prince  of  Peace.     With  the 
/political  aspects  of  the  Kevolution  Zeisbergiy^  aiid  his 
I  coadjutors  wished  to  have  nothing  to  dp;  they  espoused 
neither  cause,  but  waited  until  the  struggle  should  be 
over,  in  order  then  to  obey  those  powers  that  should  be 
ordained  of  God.     If  to  induce  bloodthirsty  savages  to 
Igo  back  to  their  villages  and  not  dash  their  tomahawks 
;into  the  brains  of  women  and  sucking  children  mili- 
Itated  against  such  neutrality — if  to  fulfill  the  solicita- 
tions of  the  Delaware  councilors,  themselves  unable  to 
'  write,   and  transcribe   messages    to  American   officers 
whereby  border  families  were  warned  of  the  approach 
of  murderous  gangs,  was  to  take  si^los  with  the  "rebels" 
against  the  crown — then,  in  both  cases,  they  followed 
the  higher  law,  the  law  of  God,  which  supersedes  every 
other.      But  a  position    like  this   the   British  agents 
''vould  not,  and  indeed  could  not,  understand.     Blunted 
by  the  associations  of  the  Indian  war  they  had  evoked, 
they  did  not  realize  that  their  policy  deserved  to  be  con- 
demned at  the  bar  of  nations,  not  to  speak  of  a  divine 
tribunal.    The  Moravian  missionaries  and  their  converts 
were  to  them,  not  upholders  of  principles  which  neces- 


\ 


m. 


H 


DAVID  ZEISliERGER. 


489 


n  death. 

Tpiiig  in 
Delaware 
'ittsburg 
lese  acts 
kvere  not 
oliticallj 
uinanity 
^Yith  the 
aiid  his 
espoused 
lould  be 
hould  be 
Lvages  to 
nahawka 
reu  mili- 
solicita- 
inable  to 
i   officers 
approach 
"rebels" 
followed 
les  every 
li  agents 
Blunted 
evoked, 
)  be  con- 
a  divine 
converts 
h  neces- 


! 


! 


sarily  grew  out  of  their  sacred  vocation,  but  abettors 
of  the  American  rebellion,  on  a  par  with  its  frontier 
scouts. 

To    none  wore  they  more   hateful   than    to    Elliot, 
McKeo,  and  Simon  Girty.     Ever  since  the  lirst  visit  of 
these  men  to  Goschachgiink,  where  they  saw  the  influ- 
ence which  Zeisbergcr  was  exercising,  they  had  persist- 
ently plotted  the  ruin  of  the  Mission.     Thus  far  their 
eflbrts  had  been  without  success.     Now,  however,  an- 
other attempt  was  to  be  made.     A  treaty  with  the  Iro- 
quois took  place  at  Niagara.     Thither  went  AIcKee.  as 
Agent  01  Indian  Affairs,  and  proposed,  by  authority  of 
the  commandant  of  Detroit,  an  expedition  against  the 
Christian  towns.    The  Six  Nations  were  unwilling  them-' 
selves  to  engage  in  it,  but  sent,  iirst,  to  the  Chippewas 
and  Ottawas,  saying,  "  We  give  you  the  believing  In- 
dians  and  their  teachers  to  make  broth  of;"  and  whenj 
they  had  declined  the  gift,  the  same  message  was  trans- 
mitted to  the  Half  King  of  the  Wyandots.     lie  accepted 
it,  but,  as  he  protested,  merely  in  order  to  save  the  lives  '' 
of  the  Christian  Indians.     At  a  barbecue  in  a  Shaw-^' 
anese  town,  on  the  Scioto,  the  raid  was  planned,  in  the 
presence  and  by  the  help  of  British  officers,  and  under 
the  folds  of  the  British  flag.      Wyandots,  Mingoes,  and) 
Delawares,  together  with  a  few  Shawanese,  formed  the! 
troop.     To  the  captains  only  was  the  real  object  of  the 
expedition  made  known.     They  received  secret  instruc- 
tions to  drive  the  Christian  Indians  from  their  seats,  to 
seize  their  teachers,  and  either  to  convey  them  as  pris- 
oners to  Detroit,  or  put  them  to  death  and  bring  theii;:^ 


t  ^ 


490 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


s 


1,1 .  i 


scalps.  The  Wyaudot  and  Mingo  captains  consented 
for  the  Bake  of  the  plunder  and  the  promised  reward; 
of  tlie  Delaware  captains  the  Unaniis  w^erc  actuated  by 
their  implacable  animosity  to  the  Gospel,  the  Monseys 
by  the  desire  of  revenge  for  the  neutral  policy  which 
the  GoschachgUnk  Council  had  maintained  in  opposi- 
tion to  Pipe,  and  whicli  they  correctly  ascribed  to  the 
Influences  of  the  Mission,  and  for  Broadhead's  ravages 
on  the  Muskingum,  unjustly  laid  to  its  charge. 

The  first  intelligence  which  the  missionaries  received 
of  this  threatening  invasion  was  brought  during  Zeis- 
berger's  absence,  and  induced  them  to  hold  a  consulta- 

.  tion  (June  11)  with  the  national  assistants,  at  which  it 
was  determined  not  to  leave  the  Tuscarawas  valley  ex- 

;  cept  by  force.  Of  this  resolution  Zeisberger  approved 
when  he  got  back;  but,  as  no  further  tidings  came  from 
the  Scioto,  he  began  to  li()})e  that  the  expedition  had 
been  given  up.  In  the  lirst  days  of  August,  however, 
reports  of  its  speedy  arrival  again  circulated ;  and,  on 
the  ninth,  they  Avcre  unhappily  verified  by  two  runners 
who  came  to  Salem  from  the  Half  King  himself,  an- 
nouncing that  he  and  his  warriors  were  on  their  way  to 
have  a  talk  with  their  father,  Zciaberger,  and  with  their 
cousins,  the  Christian  Indians,  and  requesting  to  be  in- 
formed in  which  of  their  towns  they  should  encamp. 
Zeisberger,  to  whom  this  message  was  referred,  desig- 
nated Gnadcnhiitten  as  the  place  of  rendezvous. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  tenth,  at  four  o'clock,  the  first 
party  reached  Salem  with  a  painful  attempt  at  martial 
array.     Most  of  them  were  mounted,  and  rode  in  the 


DA  VID  ZEISUERGER. 


491 


following   order :    tlio    Half  King  and  his  men,  from 
Upper  Sandusky  ;  Abraliani  Coon'  and  Wy:;ndots,  from 
Lower  Sandusky ;   Wyan  dots  from  Detroit;   Mingoes; 
two   Shawanesc    captains,   John    and   Thomas   Snake ; 
Captain  Pipe  and  Captain  Wenginund,  witli  Monseya 
and   Delawarcs ;    Matthew    Elliot,    in   his   capacity   of 
British   captain,   attended    by   Alexander    McCormick, 
as  ensign,  bearing   a  British  flag,  as  also  by  Michael 
Herbert  and  five    other  Englishmen  and  Frenchmen  ; 
stragglers   from   various   tribes   bringing   up   the   rear. 
The   whole    troop    numbered   one   hundred   and   forty 
men.      They  encamped    on    the   plain    between   Salem 
and  the  river,  and  were  hospitably  entertained.      The 
Half  King,  the  captains,  and  Matthew  Elliot  visited  thc\ 
Mission    House,  where  Heckewelder  received  thera  inj 
the  presence  of  the   native  assistants.      The  interviewi 
was  of  the  most  friendly  character.     With  a  polite  im-t 
pudence,  possible   only  among   arch-deceivers  like  the  / 
Indians,  Pomoacan  addressed  Heckewelder;  / 

"Fathci-,  I  thank  the  great  God  in  heaven  that  He  ■ 
has  preserved  us  both  until  this  day,  and  permitted  us  / 
to  see  one  another  again. 

"  Father,  I  rejoice  to  bo  with  you,  and  beg  you  to  fill 
m}'  tobacco-pipe." 

Turning  next  to  the  assistants,  he  complimented  them  ', 
with  all  the  phrases  usual  on  occasions  of  amity.  Kot  ( 
the  remotest  hint  was  given  of  the  evil  designs  whicl\j 


! 


*  Abraham  C'loii  was  a  white  man,  capturod  by  tlic  Indians  in  tho 
first  French  War,  adopted  by  tho  Wyandt>ts,  and  now  a  captain  among 
them.     lie  was  tho  interpreter  of  tlio  expedition 


fnr 


492 


LIFE  AiWO   TIMES  OF 


■O 


had  brought  the  party  to  Salom.     Elliot,  too,  cojisnm- 

Anatcly  acted  the  hypocrite.     His  words  were  soft  and 

kind;   his  heart  full  of  gall  and  bitterness.      Of  this 

McCornuck,  who  had  been  forced,  against  his  will,  to 

accompany  the  expedition,  assured  Ileckcwelder,  with 

whom  he  had  arranged  a  secret  meeting  u!ider  cover 

I  of  the  night.     "Elliot  is  the  real  leader  of  these  men," 

I  he  said,  "  and  you  missionaries  and  all  your  Indians  are 

•  to  bo  carried  away  from  your  towns.      At  first  they 

intended  to  kill  you,  but  now  they  have  concluded  to 

begin  with  milder  means.    Agree  to  their  demands,  Mr. 

Heckewelder;  there  is  no  other  alternative.     This  is  my 

earnest  advice." 

Several  hours  later  a  rider  was  hastening  through  the 
silent  forests  to  New  Schonbrunn  with  a  letter  to  Zeis- 
berger  containing  this  calamitous  intelligence.  It  was 
not  unexpected.  "  Satan  appears  indeed,"  he  wrote  in 
reply,  "to  be  about  to  trouble  and  persecute  us  again, 
and  to  make  merry  at  our  expense.  What  wonder! — 
seeing  the  many  subjects  he  loses  by  our  preaching. 
But  his  roaring  must  not  frighten  us.  We  have  a 
heavenly  Father.  Without  His  will  Satan  dare  not 
touch  us.  Let  us  rely  on  that  Father  who  has  so  often 
delivered  us  !"  These  noble  sentiments  were  reiterated 
'"by  all  the  missionaries  at  a  conference  which  they  held, 
on  the  twelfth,  at  Gnadenhiitten.  They  could  not,  as 
yet,  agree  upon  measures  to  meet  the  emergency  be- 
cause Pomoacan  did  not  make  known  his  intentions, 
and  Elliot  still  professed  friendship,  accepting  Hecke- 
welder's    hospitality,   and    but    occasionally   dropping 


DAVW  ZEISBEROER. 


498 


vague  liinta  about  the  insecurity  of  the  Mission  in  the 
Tuscarawas  valley. 

Meanwliilc  the  troop  had  proceeded  to  Gnaden- 
hiitten,  where  it  was  augmented  by  other  parties  of 
Dclawares  and  Wyandots,  which  arrived  from  time  to 
time,  until,  by  tlio  seventeenth,  it  mustered  three  hun- 
dred warriors,  besides  a  number  of  old  nicii  and  squaws 
who  came  to  take  charge  of  the  spoils.  An  encampment 
was  put  up  on  the  green  whicli  crowned  the  lofty  river- 
bank  west  of  the  town,  one  part  being  appropriated  to 
the  AVyandots,  the  other  to  the  J)elaw;ire8 ;  in  the  center 
stood  Elliot's  tent  surmounted  by  the  British  flag. 

On  the  twentieth,  the  Half  King,  at  last,  called  a 
council  of  the  national  assistants,  and  unfolded  the  pur- 
pose of  the  expedition,  the  missionaries  being  present. 

"My  cousins,"  so  ran  his  s()eoch,  "ye  believing  In-^ 
dians  in  Gnadenhiitten,  Schonbrunn,  and  Salem!  ' 

"I  am  much  distressed  on  your  account.     You  live  > 
in   a   dangerous  place.     Two   exceedingly  mighty  and 
wrathful  gods  stand  opposed  one  to  another  with  ex-' 
tended  jaws,  and  you,  seated  between  them,  will  be 
destroyed  by  the  one  or  by  the  other,  perhaps  by  both, 
and  will  be  crushed  between  their  teeth. 

"  You  must  not  any  longer  remain  here.  Remember 
your  young  people,  remember  your  women  and  your 
children.     Care  for  their  lives;  here  they  will  all  perish. 

"  Therefore  I  take  you  by  the  hand,  lift  you  up,  and/ 
set  you  where  I  have  my  lodges.  There  you  will  be ' 
safe  and  can  dwell  in  peace.  f 

"Do  not  regard  your  houses,  fields,  and  property.; 
Rise  up  and  come  with  me. 


*:  , 


lim^ 


I'i 


J:S:'    ■ 

, 

1    ;i|  ;: 

|ij||i-;: 

||Miii;i 

H||l^ 

Lpr ' 

1  :||:;;;  ;, 

i   'ill  '  ■, 

1 

iillj'l  ill 

nil  J:- 

494 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


"  Take  your   teachc-rs   along.      Hold  your  religious 

'Councils  as  you  are  accustomed  to  do.     You  will  find 

an    abundance  of  provisions   in  my  country,  and  our 

English  lather  beyond  the  lake  wiii  care  for  you.     To 

tell  you  this  I  have  come." 

A  string  of  loampam. 

The  next  da}',  the  nationul  assistants  I'eturned  the 
following;  answer : 

'■  Uncle,  and  ye  captains  of  the  Delawares  and 
Monseys,  wlio  are  our  friends,  and  one  nation  with 
us,  je  Shawanese,  our  grandchildren,  ond  all  ye  who 
are  assembled  here ! 

"  We  have  heard  your  words,  that  we  live  in  a 
dangerous  place  ;  that  we  ought  to  remember  our 
young  people,  our  women  and  cliildren  ;  that  wo  must 
bring  them  to  a  place  of  safety,  and  care  for  their 
lives ;  that  we  are  to  rise  up  and  go  with  you  ere 
evil  befall  us.  We  have  heard  and  understood  your 
words. 

"  But  we  do  not  see  the  danger  of  which  you  speak ; 
we  do  not  believe  that  we  cannot  stay  here.  We  are  at 
peace  with  all  men.  We  have  no  interest  in  the  war. 
We  interfere  with  none ;  and  all  we  desire  is  that  none 
shall  interfere  with  us. 

"You  see  yourselves  that  we  cannot  now  go  with 
you.  We  are  heavy  and  must  have  time.  But  we 
promise  to  keep  and  consider  your  words;  and,  next 
winter,  after  we  shall  have  reaped  our  fields,  we  will 
give  you  a  reply  upon  which  you  may  depend." 

So  well  was  this  speech  received  by  the  Half  King 


^     ^ 


.U-^     t 


J^W 


-»*•■"•-— !.»,. 


t       i 


DAVID   ZEISBERGEK. 


495 


and  the  majority  of  liis  civptaius  that  the  missionaries 
imagined  the  danger  to  be  past,  and  each  returned  to 
his  town. 

But  EUiot  was  not  satisfied.  He  persuaded  Pipe,  and 
Pipe  persuaded  Pomoacan,  to  ii'sist  upon  an  inniiediato 
removal.  On  the  twenty-fifth,  the  Half  King  accord- 
iiigly  convened  the  national  assistants  of  Gnadcnhiitteu,  '   '  /  '-'V/a 


I  11  >t 


and  tohl  tlieni  that  he  was  not  pleased — first,  because  • 
no    string    of    wampum    had    been    given    him;    and 
secondly,  because  the  term  which  they  had  set  was  too 
The  Christian  Indians  must  leave  their  towns 


long, 
now. 

Zeisberger  having  been  sent  for,  a  second  speech  was 
delivered,  setting  forth  that  the  converts  could  not 
lose  their  crops  and  all  their  property ;  that  it  would 
be  wrong  to  expose  their  women  aMd  children  to  the 
danger  of  starvation ;  that  time  should  be  given  them 
at  least  to  gather  their  corn  ;  that  the  Half  King  should  \ 
have  pity  and  think  of  the  distress  into  which  he  was  ■ 
plunging  them. 

Several  days  of  great  anxiety  for  the  missionaries'^ 
followed.  It  was  a  grievous  burden  to  feed  three 
hundred  warriors,  whose  frecpient  association  with  the 
young  members  of  the  Church  was  bearing  evil  fruits; 
and — worse  than  all ! — differences  of  opinion  began  to 
prevail  among  those  of  maturer  years  and  even  among 
the  assistants.  Misled  by  the  artful  words  of  the  cap- 
tains and  their  men,  not  a  few  believed  that  the  country 
to  which  they  were  to  be  taken  was  a  land  flowing 
with   milk  and  honey,  and  favored  a  speedy  emigra^J 


!<l 


i  I 


i 


>'  h 


496 


L/i'^i;  AND   TIMES  OF 


Ml-  ! 


"f' 


tiou.  Zeisberger  and  his  fellow-laborei's  did  wha 
they  could  to  undeceive  such  as  these,  trying  to  God 
for  aid.  It  was  not  their  personal  safety  which  atFectcd 
them,  but  the  prosperity  of  the  Mission, — the  eternal 
welfare  of  the  souls  intrusted  to  their  care.  Wisdom  to 
guide  them  aright,  amid  such  dark  experiences,  was  the 
boon  for  which  they  prayed.  "With  regard  to  them- 
selves,  they  had  no  fears,  as  is  shown  by  a  message 
'^  which  Zeisberger  succeeded  in  conveying  to  Colonel 
Brodhcad  for  transmission  to  the  Board  at  Bethlehem. 
"We  are  beset,"  ho  wrote,  "by  upwards  of  three  hun- 
dred warriors  of  different  nations.  They  are  deter- 
f mined  to  take  us  away  from  our  settlements,  and 
^threaten  to  kill  us  and  carry  ofi'  our  scalps  if  we 
do  not  yield.     We  are  resigned  to  our  fate." 

Pomoacan  and  his  captains  were  in  perplexity.  The 
request  of  the  Christian  Indians  for  time  to  gather 
their  corn  was  reasonable,  and  ought,  they  said,  to 
be  granted.  But  as  Elliot  would  not  hear  of  this, 
they  fell  to  quarreling,  and  some  of  the  warriors  con- 
ceived such  disgust  for  his  pertinacity  that  they  insulted 
him  and  shot  at  the  British  flag.  This  roused  his 
anger.  "  Of  whom  are  you  afraid  ?"  he  exclaimed. 
"If  you  go  home  without  these  ministers,  expect  no 
favor  from  your  English  father;  if  you  fail  to  seize 
them,  I  will  leave  this  place  and  report  your  faithless- 
ness. Then  you  will  have  not  a  father,  but  a  powerful 
enemy  at  Detroit;  and,  the  English  and  the  Americans 
both  against  you,  what  awaits  your  tribes  but  destruc- 
tion ?"    With  tliis  threat  he  instantly  began  to  prepare 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


497 


for  his  dcpirture,  and  made  it  appear  that  he  was  iu 
great  haste  to  return  to  Detroit.  The  Half  King  took 
the  ahirm,  and  promised  immediate  compliance  with 
his  wishes. 

Council  after  council  was  now  called  to  decide  thai 
fate  of  the  missiouaiies.     At  Itjgth,  it  was  resolved  to' 
put  them  to  death,  provided  this  should  meet  with  the 
approval   of   a  noted  sorcerer  who    accompanied    the 
expedition.     But  he  pronounced   the   decision   unwise, 
inasmuch  as  the  national  assistants  would  then  till  the  i 
place  of  the  teachers,  and  nothing  would  he   gained. 
Another  council  thereupon  included  the  national  assist- 
ants in  the  sentence  of  death.     "What!"  stormed  the 
sorcerer  when   this   new  plan  was    submitted  to  him, 
"you   have    determined   to   kill    my   countrymen,  and 
friends,  and  near  relations  !     Lay  but  a  finger  upon  a 
single  one  of  them,  and  I  know  what  I  will  do !"     So 
great  was  the  fear  of  this  m-ai  that  the  project  imrne-  ^ 
diately  fell    through.      Finally  the  council  determined/ 
to  spare  the  lives  of  the  missionaries,  but  to  carry  them  \ 
off  to  Detroit.      The   converts,  it  was  believed,  would  ( 
follow  of  their  own  accord. 

God  undoubtedly  )\ere  made,  as  He  often  docs,  an 
agent  of  Satan  to  praise  Him  ;  but  the  Indians  were 
influenced  by  other  motives  also,  and  hesitated  to  shed 
the  blood  of  the  white  teachers,  because  they  had  always 
received  kindness  at  their  hands,  because  their  fame 
was  in  all  the  land,  and  their  towns  were  everywhere 
known  to  be  the  seats  of  generous  hospitality.  Many 
of  these  savages  were  ill  at  ease.     They  would  not  have 

32 


I 

;  ^ 


Wlli 


lie 


V 


498 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


\^y 


,  ^scrupled  to  murder  the  innocent;  but  to  slay  men  who 

t^'    had  so  often  fed  them  when  they  were  hungry  and  given 

them  to  drink  when  they  were  thirst}^,  was  contrary  to 

their  instincts.     This  explains,  what  would  otherwise  bo 

-  an  enigma,  why  three  hundred  armed  warriors  Avavered 

for  an  entire  week  before  seizing  a  liandful  of  mission- 

/  aries. 

On.  the  first  of  September,  the  Half  King  again  sum- 
moned them  to  an  interview  at  Gnadenhutten.  Zcis- 
berger,  Senseman,  Edwards,  and  Ileckeweldev  appeared. 
Jungraann,  with  his  wife,  Mrs.  Zeisberger,  and  Mrs. 
'  Senseman — who  had  but  two  days  before  given  birth 
to  a  son^ — remained  at  New  Schonbrunn ;  Michael  Jung 
i  with  Mrs.  lleckeweider  at  Salem. 

Gnadenhutten,  by  this  time,  presented  a  dreary  scene 
of  rioting  and  ruin.  Savages  tilled  it,  running  about 
with  terrific  war-whoops,  darcing  and  singing,  shooting 
down    cattle  and   hogs,  and    leaving   the   carcasses   to 


-'0'='? 


rot  in  the  streets  and  the  stench  to  infect  the  air. 
The  missionaries  kept  the  hocise,  their  meeting  with 
Pomoacan  having  been  appointed  for  the  following  day. 
Late  at  night,  a  national  assistant  came  and  begged 
them  to  flee  to  Pittsburg,  saying  that  the  converts  were 
all  ready  to  aid  and  protect  them.  But  they  declined. 
In  no  case,  they  added,  would  they  desert  the  Mission. 
Their  lives  were  in  the  hands  of  God.  The  next  morn- 
ing, Saturday,  September  the  third,  John  Martin  pre- 


»  Christian  David  Sonseman,  born  August  30,  1781,  who  afterward 
settled  at  Nazareth,  Pa.,  where  he  was  a  merchant  for  many  years,  and 
at  which  place  he  died  in  1834. 


p 


DAVID   ZEISDEROER. 


499 


sentecl  himself,  and  with  tearful  eyes  iufornicd  thoni 
that  that  day  would  decide  their  fate.  "  A  warrior,"  he 
said,  "a  relative  of  mine,  who  was  at  the  Half  King's 
council  last  night,  assures  me  of  this,  and  tells  me,  too, 
that  there  again  exists  a  difference  of  opinion.  Some 
have  changed  their  minds  and  want  to  kill  you  in  spite 
of  the  sorcerer's,  judgment.  Dear  brethren,  it  is  certain 
that  to-day  you  will  either  be  put  to  death  or  taken 
prisoners." 

Never  did  Zeisberger's  Christian  heroism  shine  more 
brightly  than  on  this  occasion.  lu  all  the  towns  of  the 
Mission  a  public  service  was  held  daily,  at  8  o'clock. 
To  omit  it  that  morning  would  have  been  but  natural. 
Not  so,  however,  thought  this  stanch  confessor,  who 
had  so  often  stood  up  to  his  duty  "  in  perils  among  the 
heathen,"  and  so  often  found  his  father's  God  "  a  sun 
and  shield."  At  the  appoinced  hour,  he  gave  directions 
to  ring  the  bell  of  the  chapel.  Its  clear  tones  filled 
Gnadenhiitten  and  sounded  through  the  encampment 
and  were  borne  to  the  plantations  of  the  river  bottom, 
until  they  died  away  in  the  forest  beyond.  The  con- 
verts heard  them,  and  flocked  to  the  sanctuary  from 
every  house,  hut,  and  field;  the  warriors  lieard  them, 
and  many  bent  their  steps  to  the  same  place;  the  Half 
King  heard  them,  and  a  shade  of  remorse  fell  upon  his 
heart  at  the  thoufjht  that  that  bell  would  never  rino" 
again;  the  British  captain  heard  them,  and,  with  an 
uneasy  mind,  sought  the  recesses  of  his  tent;  the  ensign 
heard  them,  and  hastened  to  take  part  in  the  worship 
ot  the  men  whom  he  \o\(i{\  :  the  distant  scouts,  guard- 


■  r 

f 

1 

I 


600 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


i,s  • 


I.   t 


U-< 


m  ■ 


ing  the  trails,  lieard  them,  and  wondered  whether  that 
morning's  prayers  would  be  the  hist  the  teachers  would 
bring  to  the  white  man's  God.  When  Zeisbergor 
centered  the  church  he  found  it  tilled  to  overflowing 
and  the  doors  wide  open,  that  the  throng  without  might 
*oatch  his  words.  His  tried  associates  were  calm  and 
self-possessed  ;  the  national  assistants  manifested  deep 
anxiety  ;  the  converts  sat  with  sorrow  iu  their  eyes;  the 
warriors  looked  grave  as  when  gathered  to  a  council. 
Deep  silence  pervaded  the  assembly. 

Zeisbcrger  gave  oyit  a  hymn  in  the  Delaware  .lan- 
guage.  That  roused  the  faith  of  the  congregation,  and 
here  ensued  such  a  burst  of  song  as  had  never  before 
been  known  within  those  walls.  His  discourse,  which 
now  followed,  had  for  its  text  the  passage  appointed  for 
that  day  in  the  churches  of  the  Brethren:  "Behold, 
thou  art  wroth  ;  for  we  have  sinned  :  in  those  is  contin- 
uance, and  we  shall  bo  saved."  ^  The  spirit  of  the  Lord 
God  was  upon  him.  Taking  for  his  theme  divine  love, 
which,  while  the  Lord  is  wroth  because  of  their  sins, 


'  Isaiah,  Ixiv.  5.  Both  in  his  MS.  Biographiad  Skcic.h  and  in  hi? 
published  Ilisfory  of  the  Mission,  Hockeweldor  adduces  a  diSerent  text, 
namely,  Is.  liv.  8.  This,  however,  is  manifestly  an  inadvertency.  1 
have  before  me  his  own  official  diary  of  Salem,  written  a  few  days  after 
the  event,  and  in  that  he  crives  the  text  I  have  cited.     His  MS.  Sketch 

en  m'     "111    I'll    I    «„,iMi.^ ^%| 

w_as  written  twenty-seven,  and  his  history  thirty-ninejj'ears  later. 
,  The  Moravian  Church  annually  publishes  a  little  vohimo,  in  the  Gor- 
/man,  English,  P'rench,  Dutch,  Swedish,  Danish,  Esquimaux,  and  Negro- 
English  languages,  containing  two  texts — ihc  one  from  the  Old,  the 
other  from  tin,'  New,  Testament — for  each  day  in  the  year,  with  appro- 
priate stanzas  from  the  Hymn  ]}ook  annexed.  This  manual  has  ap- 
peared ever  since  1731,  and  is,  consequently,  now  in  its  one  hundred  and 
fortieth  year.     It  was  from  it  that  Zeisbcrger  took  his  text. 


DAVID  ZEISDEROER. 


501 


prompts  Ilim  to  chasten  men  that  they  may  repent  and 
be  saved,  he  illustrated  the  subject,  tirst,  by  the  example 
of  ancient  Israel,  and  then  by  that  of  the  converts  from 
heathenism  in  modern  times.  He  showed  that  in  Green- 
land and  Labrador,  in  South  Africa  and  the  West  In- 
dies, in  South  America  and  the  Western  wilderness, 
where  they  then  were,  God  had  choseu  for  himself  a 
people  redeemed  from  pagan  errors,  delivered  from  Sa- 
tan's snares,  and  waiting  to  join  those  who  were  already 
before  His  throne.  It  was  a  people  that  lie  would  never 
forsake,  however  much  He  might  try  them  in  His  right- 
eous wrath. 

"We  here,"  he  continued,  "are  a  part  of  this  chosen 
nation.  And  shall  we  who  have  thus  been  brought  out 
of  darkness  to  the  light,  who  have  experienced  the  good- 
ness of  the  Lord,  and  in  so  many  instances  seen  His 
protecting  hand  over  us,  who  have  braved  so  many 
storms  and  the  threatenings  of  the  children  of  darkness, 
wljo  have  never  yet  been  disappointed  in  our  hopes — 
shall  we  forget  this?  Did  we  not  frequently  hear  the 
same  menaces?  Were  we  not  told,  time  and  again,  wliat 
would  be  done  to  us  if  we  did  not  leave  our  habitations  and 
live  among  the  heathen?  And  did  we  obey?  or  were  we 
molested  for  not  obeying?  No!  And  why  not?  Because 
we  put  our  trust  in  the  Lord  and  depended  upon  His  pro- 
tection. Will  we,  then,  not  continue  in  the  same  faitli 
and  place  the  same  trust  in  Him,  assured  that  He  is  both 
willing  and  able  to  protect  us  at  all  times?  Have  we 
growMi  weaker  in  our  faith  instead  of  stronger?  Will  we 
give  the  heathen  cause  to  mock  and  laugh  at  us  that  they 


I,  1 


,y  -■'1  -  '  J I 


i()2 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


may  siiy,  'These  pretend  to  believe  wliat  they  believe 
not'  ?  No,  my  brethren !  Not  ouly  will  wo  abide  in  that 
faith  which,  through  grace,  we  have  received,  but  wo 
will  endeavor  to  grow  in  such  faith.  Death  itself  shall 
not  rob  us  of  this  treasure.  And  though,  in  times  of 
old,  the  Lord  was  sometimes  wroth  with  Ilis  people, 
and  peraiitted  the  heathen  to  chastise  them  a  little  when 
they  bojame  indifferent  and  departed  from  His  Avays; 
yet,  as  soon  as  they  repented,  He  turned  to  them  again 
in  mercy.  Lot  it  be  so  with  us  also,  and  particularly 
with  those  who,  at  this  time,  have  been  led  astray,  who 
have  been  overwhelmed  by  fear  and  timidly  would 
choose  rather  to  submit  to  the  dictates  of  the  heathen 
than  to  rely  upon  Ilim  to  whom  all  power  has  been 
given  both  in  earth  and  heaven,  and  who  is  able  to 
withstand  Satan  and  his  whole  host. 

"My  brethren,  our  present  situation,  in  some  respects, 
is  indeed  unparalleled.  \Yc  are  surrounded  by  a  body 
of  heathen,  by  enemies  to  the  glorious  Gospel,  by  those 
who  threaten  to  take  our  lives  if  we  do  not  go  with 
them  and  riudce  them  our  near  neighbors.  Nevertheless 
we  trust  in  the  Lord  and  subuiit  to  our  fate.  Ho  will 
not  forsako  us.  We  will  quietly  await  whatever  lie 
j)ermits.  We  will  not  defend  our  lives  by  force  of  arms, 
for  that  would  be  putting  ourselves  on  a  level  with  the 
heathen,  and  wo  are  the  children  of  God.  Neither  will 
we  hate  our  enemies.  They  know  not  what  they  do. 
Wo  are  Christians,  and  will  therefore  rather  pray  for 
them,  that  the  Lord  God  may  open  their  eyes  and  turn 
their  hearts,  that  they  may  repent  and  be  saved.     Per- 


K    'hM 


iy  believe 
de  in  that 
1,  but  we 
tselt'  sliall 

times  of 
is  people, 
ttle  when 

is  "vvays; 


I 


lem  again 
articularly 
itnxy,  who 
\\y  would 
e  lieuthen 
has  been 
is  able  to 

a  respecto, 
by  a  body 
I,  by  those 
t  go  with 
svertheler^s 
,  He  will 
itcver  He 
e  of  arms, 
1  with  the 
sither  will 
t  they  do. 
pray  for 
and  turn 
ed.     Per- 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


603 


haps  we  may  yet  see  some  of  those  who  are  here  now, 
seeking  Christ  and  joining  His  holy  church,  against 
which  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail." 

Deep  feeling   agitated  the  congregation  during   the\ 
delivery  of  this  discourse,  of  which  the  foregoing  are] 
but  mere  extracts;  tears  were  shed  on  every  side,  not' 
of  fear,  but  of  repentance  and  joy  in  the  Lord;  even/ 
the  savages,  of  whom  Zcisberger  spoke  so  fearlessly,! 
and  whose  wicked  designs  he  laid   bare  with    so  un-* 
sparing   a   hand,   bowed   their   proud  heads  in  shame.] 
The  power  of  God  was  so  manifest,  that  IIeckewelder\ 
affirms  he  never  witnessed  anything  like  it,  and  thati 
it  seemed  almost  as  though  Jesus  himself  were  visibly  > 
present.      A  fervent    prayer    followed,  in   which    the 
missionaries  and  converts  were  commended  to  the  pro-t 

i 

tecting  care  of  their  heavenly  Father,  and  His  bene-\ 
diction  was  invoked  upon  the  warriors  present,  upon\ 
those  in  the  camp,  upon  every  person  in  the  town,  that/ 
thev  mio'ht  all  be  converted. 

At  eleven  o'clock,  the  Half  King,  with  his  councilors 
a'vl  captains,  repaired  to  the  Mission  House,  whither 
the  missionaries  and  assistants  had  retired  immediately 
after  the*  morning  service.  He  told  them  that  their 
speech  of  a  week  ago,  asking  for  time  to  harvest,  was 
not  acceptable,  and  that  he  had  called  them  together 
in  order  to  ati'ord  them  one  opportunity  more  to  yield 
voluntarily  to  his  demands.  They  must  leave  their 
towns  at  once,  and  accompany  him  to  the  "Wyandot 
country ;  if  they  refused,  it  would  be  at  their  own  peril. 
According  to  a  previous  understandin 


'O' 


> 


i.  1 


604 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


sistants,  in  the  name  of  Zeisberger  as  the  head  of  the 
Mission,  replied :  "  Wo  have  ah-eady  informed  you  of 
our  determination.  We  repeat  it  now.  We  cannot 
leave  our  towns  at  once.  We  ask  for  time  at  least  to 
harvest.  We  have  nothing  further  to  say."  As  soou 
as  they  had  received  this  answer,  the  Half  King  and 
his  captains  left  the  liouse. 

,.  In  declining  to  submit  freely  to  the  will  of  the  sav- 
-ages,  the  missionaries  were  moved  by  a  high  sense  of 
duty.  It  was  clear  to  their  minds  that  they  would,  in 
the  end,  have  to  give  way;  but  every  effort,  consistent 
with  their  principles,  must  iirst  be  made  to  avert  such  a 
catastrophe.  They  must  uphold  the  Mission  as  long  as 
it  was  possible,  even  if  it  should  cost  them  their  lives. 
A  forcible  abduction  they  could  not  prevent ;  but  not 
until  this  was  attempted  would  they  feel  at  liberty  to 
leave  a  spot  where  their  work  prospered  so  abundantly, 
and  expose  the  converts  to  the  perils  which  would  sur- 
round them  in  the  Wyandot  country. 

Word  had  been  brought  to  Zeisberger,  by  one  of  his 
/converts,  from  a  Mousey  captain,  that  he  should  assert 
Ihis  rights  as  a  naturalized  citizen  of  their  nation, 
/promising  him  full  protection  if  he  did  so.  But  his 
!  fellow-missionaries  not  being  included  in  the  offer,  he 
'did  not  deem  it  worthy  of  his  notice.  In  the  afternoon, 
i  about  one  o'clock,  as  he  was  walking  with  Senseman 
and  Ileckewelder  back  of  the  Mission  garden,  this  cap- 
jtain  himself  hurried  up  and  renewed  the  suggestion, 
\  telling  him  that  he  must  make  the  claim  at  once,  or  it 
would  be  too  late.     While  in  the  act  of  declining,  n 


i . 


■m 


/*. 


/t  '^ 


fff  : '  ii  r^  '^-<-'''(yZ<Ur^C<y^^'\U>^ 


DAVID  ZEISDEROER. 


505 


guard  of  three  Wyaudots,  sent  by  Pomoacan,  ruslied  upon' 
the  three  mi.ssioiuiries,  took  them  prisoners,  and,  with  i 
loud  st'uli)-yells,  dragged  them  to  the  Dehnvare  camp,  i 
Thither  the  Wyandots  came  running,  and  while  some  j 
stripped  them  to  tlieir  shirts,  others  plundered  the  Mis- 
sion House,  wantonly  destroying  wliatever  they  did  not 
want.     One  savage  only — an  "ugly-looking"  Wyandot i 
— attempted   to   excite  the  cruelties  of  the  gantlet  by 
aiming  several  blows  with  his  tomahawk  at  Sensemau's 
head ;    another — a  dark-faced  Monscy — seized  each  of 
them  by  the  hair,  shook  them  violently,  and  said:   "I 
salute  thee,  my  friend !"     But  a  third  hastened  to  their 
assistance.     "You  vile  fellow,"  he   exclaimed,  "what 
have  these  done  that  you  treat  them  thus  ?     You  are  a 
worthless   Indian!    leave   this   camp   instantly!"      The 
Delawares  generally  did  not  participate  in  the  pillage  j 
of  the  Mission  House.     The  captains  withdrew  in  evi-  \ 
dent   disgust,  remembering   too  well    the  good  works  ' 
which  these  teachers  had  wrought  in  their  nation.     In- 
deed,   the    treatment  which  they  experienced  was  far 
more  lenient  than  would  have  been  meted  out  to  other 
captives.      This  Ileckewelder  ascribed  to  Zeisberger's 
public  declaration  in  the  morning  that  they  would  not 
allow  the  converts  to  resist  by  force  of  arms. 

The   prisoners  weiG    now  conveyed  to  Elliot's  tentT 
There  stood  God's  ordained  servants,  almost  naked,  in 
the  presence  of  this  British  captain  who  had  frequentlyi 
enjoyed  their  hospitality !     For  a  momieut  he  was  over-'' 
whelmed  with  shame;  then  made  some  lame  apologies,! 
and  finally  ordered  them  to  be  taken  to  the  Wyandot  ) 


I 


^-/ 


50G 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


i;^  1 


ht] 


'bamp,  after  having  indnecd  the  savages  to  restore  to 

them  a  fen'  okl  rags  and  torn  garments,  that  they  might 

I  to  some  extent  at  least  cover  their  nakedness.      Zeis- 

bcrger    and   Ileckewelder  were   pnt   in   one   hut,  and 

guarded  by  Coon ;  Senseman  came  into  the  keeping  of 

^'Snip,  a  Mingo  captain,  notorious  for  his  cruel  murders, 

I  who  was  with   diiHculty  dissuaded  from  fastening  his 

feet  in  stocks.     The  prison-huts  were  mere  roofs  sup- 

< ported  by  low  polos.      Edwards  had  been   overlooked 

jwhen  his  brethren  were  seized.     He  now  gave  himself 

^up,  of  his  own  accord,  and  shared  their  confinement. 

A  band  of  thirty  warriors  set  out  for  Salem,  and  an- 
other of  but  two,  accompanied  by  a  squaw,  for  New 
Schonbrunn,  in  order  to  capture  the  rest  of  the  Mission 
familv  The  prisoners  saw  them  wildly  riding  oif  with 
fearfii!  yells,  and  knew  that  their  wives  and  children 
were  at  their  merc^'.  Soon  night  came  on  and  a  cold 
rain  began  to  fall.  It  was  a  night  memorable  amid  all 
the  eventful  experiences  of  their  lives.  Wrapped  in 
blankets,  brought  by  the  Christian  Indians,  they  lay  on 
the  ground,  each  silently  wrestling  with  God  that  He 
would  protect  their  loved  ones,  and  all  expecting  death 
in  the  morning. 
^     The  party  sent  to   Salem   broke    into  the   Mission 

(House,  which  Jung  had  barricaded.  He  was  imme- 
diately attacked  with  tomahawks,  from  which  Captain 
Coon  rescued  him  upon  his  promising  to  surrender. 
The  house  having  been  sacked,  he  was  hurried  to  Gna- 
j  denhiitten.  and,  at  midnight,  brought  to  his  associates. 
]_" Good-evening,  my  brethren,"  was  his  greeting;  "our 


DAVID  ZEl^DERGER. 


501 


eartlily  career  seems  to  be  near  its  oiul;  we  liave  reached^ 
the  borders  of  eternity,  but  we  die  in  a  good  eause." 
At  tlie   ur<j;oiit   entreaty  of    tlic    Salem  women,    Mrs. 
Ilec'keweldcr  and  her  bal)e  of  iive  montlis  had  been 
permitted  to  remain  with  them  until  morning.' 

The  lamily  at  Xew  Hchonbrunn  had  spent  an  anxious 
day.  Toward  evening  they  heard  of  tlie  events  at  Gna-  j 
dcniiiitten  and  that  warriors  were  approaeliing  their 
own  toNv'u.  But  when  only  two  arriviid,  they  took 
them  to  be  visitors,  and  while  Jungmann  went  to  en-; 
tertain  them  at  his  house,  to  whieh  they  had  ridden,  the 
ladies,  deeming  the  danger  past,  retired  for  tlie  night  in 
Zeisl)erger's  dwelling.  Jungmann  found  at  his  door  a 
Wyandot  captain,  together  witli  his  sister  and  one  of  his 
men.  Tliis  captain  had,  on  the  previous  day,  paid  a 
friendly  visit  to  the  Mission  House  and  requested  to  be 


i 


'  This  fliilil  Wii^  .loiiniiii    JIariii  llecki'wcldcv,   Ixirn  April  C,  1781, 
at  Suloni,  iiiul,  in  all  jyrobiibility,  the  socoiiJ  wliite  child  born  in  thu^ 
Stiiti!  of  Ohio.      Sho   ri'iiiiiincd  at  llic  ^lissioii   iiiuil   1785,  when  lior 
parents  sent  her  to  Bctlilc'licni  witli  the  Jiini^inann  family,  whore  she 
Wi.s  educated.      In   1801,  she  was  ai>pointed  a  teacher  in  the  Ladies' 
BoardinLT-School  at  Litiz,  Pa.,  but  was  obliged  to  retire,  after  live  year.s, 
on  account  of  her  impaii'cd  hearing.     Eventually  she  lost  her  hearing 
altogether.     After  the  death  of  her  parents,  she  took  up  her  residence 
in  tlu)  Sisters'  Uouse  at  Bethlehem,  where  her  room  became  the  resort 
of  visitors  i'rom  far  and  near,  anxious  to  see  one  of  the  lir.~t  white  chil- 
dren bcn-n  in  Ohio,  and  to  nnike  the  acquaintance  of  a  lady  who  iin- 
piesscd  every  one  that  a]iproachcd  Ikh'  by  her  high  culture,  her  gentle 
ways,  her  deep  Christian   piety,  and   the   childlike    resigtiation    with 
which  she  bore  her  affliction.     Communication  was  carried  on  with  hcri 
by  writing  on  a  slate,  which  .she  always  had  lying  on  her  table.     Shoj 
was  a  life-long  friend  of  the  Indians,  and  never  ceased  to  jn'ay  for  them.  I 
Her  many  friends  will  always  remember  boras  a  handmaid  of  Jesus,! 
with  whom  it  was  a  privilege  to  associate.     She  died  on  the  19th  ofj 
September,  1868,  aged  87  years,  5  months,  and  2  days. 


I ; 


508 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


\     I 


\  ' 


shown  throngb  the  premises.  Jungmaun  was  imme- 
diately seized  and  the  house  plundered.  Going  next  to 
Zeisbcrger's,  the  two  savages  pretended  to  be  friends 
anxious  to  protect  the  pale-faced  women  and  save  their 
property,  inducing  Mrs.  Zeisberger  to  rise  and  help 
them  pack  up  her  own  linen.  But  soon  they  grew  tirc^l 
of  the  part  they  were  acting,  threw  olt'the  mask,  robbed 
the  house,  destroyed  what  they  could  not  use,  including 
the  books  and  papers  of  the  Mission,  forced  Mrs.  Sense- 
man  out  of  bed,  although  it  was  but  the  fourth  day  after 
her  continement,  and  dragged  her,  together  with  Mrs. 
Zeisberger  and  Mrs.  tlungmann,  all  shivering  in  their 
night  garments,  through  the  pelting  rain  to  a  canoe, 
where  Jungmann  had  been  previously  secured.  The 
young  men  of  the  Cburch  would  have  flown  to  arms  and 
rescued  them,  but  were  prevented  by  the  assistants,  in 
accordance  with  Zeisbcrger's  instructions,  of  which  the 
,  Wyandots  were  well  a\vare,  else  they  would  have  dis- 
patched more  than  two  of  their  warriors  to  overawe  the 
population  of  an  entire  village.     Amid  the  wails  of  the 

/  Indian  women,  who,  writes  Zeisberger,  "  lifted  up  their 
voices  and  wept  aloud  until  the  night  was  filled  with 
lamentations,"  the  canoe  put  off"  and  proceeded  down 

,^__the  river. 

,  On  Sunday  morning,  the  fourth  of  September,  while 
it  was  yet  dark,  the  prisoners  at  Gnadenhiitten  caught 
the  faint  sounds  of  scalp-yells  in  the  direction  of  New 
«•'  Schbnbrunn.  These  yells  grew  louder,  and  were  an- 
swered ny  their  guards,  until,  as  the  day  broke,  their 
I  wives  and  Jungmann  landed  from  the  canoe,  and  were 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


509 


taken  to  the  Delaware  camp,  where  the  whole  body  of 
savages,  in  terrilic  chorus,  repeated  the  whoop  twelve  . 
times  ill  succession  for  the  twelve  members  of  the  Mis- 
sion family.'  But  all  this  was  mere  show.  The  cruel 
import  of  the  halloo  was  not  carried  out;  and  the  mis- 
sionaries were  even  permitted  to  have  an  interview  with 
their  wives,  who  came  guarded  to  the  Wyandot  camp, 
and  fell  weeping  into  their  husbands'  arms.  After  this 
outflow  of  feeling,  they  grew  calm,  and  during  all  their 
subsequent  hardships  not  a  murmur  or  a  complaint  fell 
from  their  lips.  Of  Mrs.  Scnseman,  Zeisberger's  jour- 
nal says  :  "  He  to  whom  all  things  are  possible  did  not 
permit  the  slightest  injury  to  befall  her,  or  her  babe, 
from  the  unnatural  events  of  that  uio-ht."  Later  in  the 
morning,  she  and  her  female  companions  were  set  at 
liberty,  and  betook  themselves  to  Schebosh's  house. 
Jungmann  was  also  released;  and  only  Zeisberger, 
Senseman,  Edwards,  Jung,  and  Ileckewelder  remained^ 
captives. 

The  Wyandots  spent  the  day  in  dividing  the  spoils  ;\ 
dressed  themselves  in  the  clothes  which  they  had  stolen,/  Jl,  V/^^  /^ 
and  strutted  about  the  camp  with  childish  vanity;   ori     ''     ^ 
brought  'inen  to  the  ladies  and  obliged  them  to  raakej 
it  up  into  shirts.     But  tbe  Delawares  took  no  part  in\ 
all  this ;  some  of  them  spoke  kindly  to  the  prisoners ' 


^  -ft' 


I  f- 


'  Hcckowcldcr  says  tlie  scalp-yell  consists  of  the  sounds  aw  and  o/t,^ 
successively  utter.vj,  the  last  drawn  out  at  groat  length,  us  long  indeed.' 
as  the  breath  will  hold,  and  raised  about  an  octave  higher  than  the  first.  ( 
He  adds,  that  it  is  a  fearful  yell,  and  the  inii)res;;iou  it  makes,  when) 
heard  for  the  first  time,  is  not  to  be  do.-cribed. 


i'-ih 


i 


\m' 


510 


LIFE  AXD    TIMES   OF 


and  expressed  their  regret  at  their  sufibrings.  An  unex- 
pected occurrence,  however,  exposed  them  to  new 
danger. 

A  young  woman  of  Salem,  a  repentant  prostitute,  pos- 
sessed herself  of  Pipe's  horse  and  "o^lo  oft'  toward 
Pittsburg  for  assistance,  moved  by  tlio  tribulations 
which  her  teachers,  to  whom  she  owed  so  much,  were 
enduring.  She  was  followed,  in  hot  haste,  b}'  a  whole 
party  ofwarriors,  who  caught  sight  of  and  galloped  after 
her  for  many  miles,  but  being  better  mounted,  she  suc- 
ceeded in  effecting  her  escape.  Intense  indignation 
raged  against  the  missionaries.  "  You  have  sent  for  the 
Long  Knives!"  was  the  cry.  "We  will  kill  you!" 
With  dark  looks  and  threatening  gestures  the  savages 
crowded  around  them,  until  their  anger  found  a  new 
vent.  It  became  known  that  the  woman  was  .>.  i-olutive 
of  Isaac  Glikkikan.  Twelve  men  were  instautK'  ^  nf  to 
Salem  Avitli  orders  to  bring  him  alive  or  dead.  So  g  oat, 
however,  was  the  fear  which  his  name  still  inspired  that 
these  warriors  manifested  no  little  trepidation  when  he 
stood  before  them  and  heard  the  object  of  their  coming. 
"There  was  a  time,"  said  he,  "when  I  would  never 
have  yielded  myself  prisoner  to  any  man  ;  but  that  Avas 
the  time  when  I  lived  in  heathenish  darkness  and  knew 
not  God.  Now  that  I  am  converted  to  Ilim,  I  suft'er 
willingly  for  Christ's  sake."  So  saying  he  allowed  his 
hands  to  be  bound  behind  his  back.  He  was  dra<?o;ed 
Jto  Gnadenhiitten  with  triumphant  scalp-whoops.  As  he 
/passed  the  hut  where  his  teachers  were  confined,  one 
'  of  them  called  to  him :  "  Be  '^f  good  cheer,  Isaac,  you 


i 


DAVID   ZEISBERGER. 


511 


are  our  fellow-prisoner !"  He  looked  back  with  a  smile 
of  manly  truBt  unintelligible  to  Ins  captors.  Nor  did 
he  forget  his  profession  amid  the  abuse  that  was  now 
heaped  upon  him.  His  own  countrymen  were  his  worst 
tradueers ;  they  both  hated  and  feared  him ;  and  having 
got  him  in  their  power,  at  last,  wanted  to  tumahaAvk 
him  on  the  spot.  But  the  Half  King  interposed.  He 
was  arraigned,  in  regular  form,  before  a  council,  which 
found  him  as  innocent  of  ail  complicity  with  his  relative 
as  the  missionaries  had  shown  themselves  to  be. 

After  an  imprisonment  of  three  days  and  three  nights," '< 
the  captives  in  the  V^yandot  camp  perceived  that  they  - 
were  not  to  be  put  to  death  but  to  be  forced  to  break  up  > 
the  Mission.     Having  done  all  in  their  power  to  pre- 
vent this,  even  to  the  offering  of  their  lives,  they  finally  . 
yielded  to  an  imperative  necessity.     On  Tuesday,  the'^ 
sixth  of  September,  the  national  assistants  delivered  a/ 
speech  to  the  Half  King  and  his  captains,  intimating! 
that  their  teachers  were  willing  to  do  what  was  required  1 
of  them,  and   praying   that   they  might  be   liberated.! 
They  were,  accordingly,  se*^  free.  ( 

Zeisberger  appointed  Salem  as  the  place  of  rendez-> 
vous,  where  the  whole  Mission  family  met  on  the  eighth,  j 
and,  the  next  day,  in  fellowship  with  the  church  of  that  1 
town,  celebrated  the  Lord's  Supper  in  faith  and  hope. 

The  woman  who  had  fled  from  GnadenhUttcn  went 
to  Fort  Mcintosh,  and  the  comniandant  of  this  post 
sent  the  intelligence  which  she  brought  to  Pittsburg, 
whence  Jacob  Haymaker  transmitted  it  by  letter,  dated 
September  7th,  to  John  Ileckedoru,  the  pastor  of  the 


512 


LIFE  AND    TIMES   OF 


. :.  f 


Moravian  church  at  York,  Pennsylvania.  Heckedorn 
dispatched  this  letter  to  the  Board  at  Bethlehem,  where 
it  arrived  on  the  twenty-seventh.'  Its  statements  were 
not  fully  credited.  There  were  those  who  treated  them 
as  an  idle  tale.  Zeisberger's  message  had  not  yet  been 
received. 


Original  letter,  and  Bethlehem  Diary  of  1781.     MSS.  B.  A. 


ill 


;  /    ■>     pJ^.^^      .:iJ  f(   :(., /j;.,  ^p 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


513 


CHAPTER    XXXII. 

THE  MISSIONARIES  AND   CHRISTIAN  INDIANS  CARRIED  OFF  TO 
THE   SANDUSKY,— 1781. 

Departure  from  Salem. — Losses  sustained  by  the  Mission. — Keflections. 
— Journey  to  Gokhosing. — The  prisoners  in  the  liands  of  the  "Wyandots. 
— Their  harsh  treatment. — Arrival  at  the  Sandusky,  and  building  of 
Captives'  Town. — Pomoacan's  visit. — Other  visits. — The  missionaries 
summoned  to  Detroit  for  trial. 

On  the  morning  of  Monday,  the  eleventh  of  Sep- 
tember, the  whole  body  of  Christian  Indians,  with  the 
missionaries  and  their  families,  left  Salem,  closely 
guarded  by  some  Delaware  and  Wyandot  warriors. 
They  traveled  in  two  divisions,  the  one  in  canoes  onj 
the  Tuscarawas,  the  other  on  land  driving  the  cattle,  of; 
which  there  was  a  large  herd. 

It  was  a  sad  journey.  They  were  turning  their 
backs  upon  the  scene  of  more  than  eight  years'  in- 
dustry, and  of  a  Christian  communion  never  equaled  iiij 
the  history  of  the  Indians.  They  were  leaving  behind 
rich  plantations,  with  five  thousand  bushels  of  unhar- 
vested  corn,  large  quantities  of  it  in  store,  hundreds 
of  hogs  and  young  cattle  loose  in  the  woods,  poultry 
of  every  kind,  gardens  stocked  with  an  abundance  of 
vegetables,  three  flourishing  towns,  each  with  a  com- 
modious bouse  of  worship,  all  the  heavy  articles  of 
furniture  and  implements  of  husbandry, — in  short,  their 
entire  property,  excepting  what  could  be  carried  on 
pack-horses  or  stowed  in  canoes. 

33 


! 


'^  J 


514 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


>  I 


But  it  was  not  the  loss  of  earthly  goods  that  caused 
Zeisberger  the  bitterest  pang  as  he  looked  back,  for  the 
last  time,  upon  the  settlements  which  his  faith  and 
energy  had  called  into  existence.  Nor  was  it  the  mere 
removal  from  the  Tuscarawas  valley  that  bowed  him 
down.  He  had  often,  before  this,  led  the  converts  to 
new  places  of  the  wilderness  and  built  new  sanctuaries 
to  his  God.  It  was,  rather,  the  conviction  that  a  fatal 
blow  had  been  given  to  his  work ;  that  the  prestige  of 
the  Mission  was  gone ;  that  the  independence  of  the 
Christian  Indians  had  been  destroyed ;  that  under  the 
most  favorable  circumstances,  their  influence  in  the  West 
would  decline,  and  they  would  themselves  suffer  spiritual 
harm.  A  philanthropist,  in  the  highest  sense  of  the 
word,  had  been  rudely  stopped  in  mid-career  as  he  was 
establishing  a  Christian  nation  which  bade  fair  to  hold 
the  balance  of  power  among  the  Western  savages,  and 
to  bring  them,  as  docile  children,  from  a  barbarism  that 
fiercely  struggled  for  existence  into  the  school  of  a  gen- 
erous civilization  and  common  faith.  Who  can  tell  all 
the  thoughts  that  crowded  his  mind  while  riding,  a  pris- 
oner, down  the  river-bank  which  his  feet  had  so  often 
trod  as  a  free  messenger  of  peace  ? 
,  Mysterious,  too,  is  the  providence  that  permitted  the 
/overthrow  of  the  Mission  at  this  time.  The  surrender 
'of  Cornwallis  at  Yorktown  (October  19, 1781)  took  place 
,  less  than  four  weeks  after  the  abduction  of  the  Christian 
Indians.  It  was  the  virtual  close  of  the  war  which  had 
drawn  upon  them  the  animosity  of  the  British. 
After  having  passed  the  ruins  of  GoschachgUnk,  th*^ 


m 


•*'P^" 


^€ 


lat  caused 
k,  for  the 
faith  and 
the  more 
owed  him 
ouverts  to 
(anctuaries 
hat  a  fatal 
>restige  of 
ace  of  the 
under  the 
i  the  West 
3r  spiritual 
ise  of  the 
as  he  was 
Ar  to  hold 
vages,  and 
)arism  that 
1  of  a  gen- 
can  tell  all 
lug,  a  pris- 
d  so  often 

mitted  the 
surrender 
took  place 
!  Christian 
which  had 
1. 
igUnk,  thf' 


q; 


1 
L 


J       / 


.,f- 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


^■.^ 


^   61?) 


troop  spent  six  days  in  camp,  at  two  different  places  on 
the  Walhonding,  partly  in  order  to  wait  for  Pomoacan  and 
the  main  body  of  Wyandots,  who  had  remained  behind 
plundering  the  towns,  and  partly  on  account  of  a  freshet 
that  swamped  the  canoe  laden  with  what  little  property; 
the  missionaries  had  saved  from  the  hands  of  the  sav 
ages.     On  the  twenty-second,  they  reached  the  junctiorii 
of  the  Walhonding  and  Vernon,  and,  following  the  lat- 
ter, arrived  at  Gokhosing  on  the  twenty-fifth,  where,  as^' 
its  name  denotes,  they  found  the  wilderness  alive  with^ 
owls.' 

From  Goschachgiink,  Elliot  and  his  escort  had  taken 
t':eir  way  to  the  Scioto  to  rejoice  with  McKec  over  the 
success  of  their  plot;  the  Monseys  and  the  Shawanesc 
captains  had  also  dispersed  to  their  villages ;  and  now 
the  rest  of  the  Delawares  turned  off  on  another  trail,  so 
that  the  prisoners-  were  left  in  charge  of  the  Half  King 
and  his  Wyandots.  These  grew  harsh  and  insolent, 
especially  in  their  treatment  of  the  missionaries,  whom 
they  carried  off,  on  the  twenty-seventh,  in  advance  of 
the  converts,  striking  their  horses  until  they  were  mad 
with  fright  and  plunged  through  the  swamps  at  a  fearful 
rate,  refusing  the  mothers  time  to  nurse  their  babes,] 
and  pushing  forward  in  a  wild,  reckless  career.  Mrs.) 
Zeisberger  was  twice  thrown  from  her  saddle  and 
dragged  some  distance,  her  foot  catching  in  the  stir- 
rup. Michael  Jung,  who  was  afoot,  received  a  cruel 
blow  to  make  him  walk  faster.     At  last  the  Half  KingJ 

1  Gokhosing,  "a  habihition  of  owls."    It  was  in  Knox  County,  prob- 
uWy  near  Mount  Vernon. 


516 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


m 


ordered  a  bait  for  the  night,  and  the  Christian  Indians 

rejoined  them. 

,    At  noon  of  the  first  of  October,  they  reached  the 

Sandusky  River.     Here  Ponaoacan,  not  deigning  a  word 

of  explanation  or  an  offer  of  assistance,  drew  oft"  his 
I  band  to  Upper  Sandusky  end  left  the  captives  to  their 

fate.  Deserted  thus  in  a  howling  wilderness,  without 
Wovisions,  and  no  game  to  be  seen,  they  were  compelled 

ko  trust  to  their  own  exertions  for  subsistence.  Having 
f  selected   a  better  camping-place  two   miles  down   the 

river,  in  a  small  wood  on  a  blutfof  the  eastern  bank,  not 


1 


'far  from  u  Wyandot  village,^  they  proceeded  to  survey 

ithe  country  for  the  site  of  a  town  in  which  they  might 

j  spend  the  winter.     About  one  mile  above  their  camp 

Ithey  found  timber,  and  on  that  spot  put  up  a  village  of 

very  small  log-houses.    It  stood  on  the  north  bank  of  the 

Sandusky,  one  mile  above  the  junction   o{  the  Broken 

Sword  Creek,  in  Antrim  Township,  Wyandot  County. 


1  The  Christian  Indians  must  have  reached  the  Sandusky,  in  Antrim 
Township,  "Wyandot  County,  ten  miles  below  Upper  Sandusky — now 
the  capital  of  that,  county — which  was  tlie  Half  King's  resideiioo. 
Zeisberger  particularly  mentions  that  the  place  was  ten  miles  from 
the  Half  King's  town.  The  camp,  two  miles  farther  down  the  river, 
no  doubt  was  quite  near  to  the  junction  of  the  Broken  Sword  Creek 
and  the  Sandusky,  and  the  village  in  its  vicinity  was  Upper  San- 
dusky Old  Town.  All  this  is  evident  from  a  comparison  of  the  map 
of  Ohio  with  Zeisborger's  Journal.'  Taylor,  in  his  otherwise  excellent 
History  of  Ohio,  has  (pages  G81  and  !382)  wholly  mistaken  these  locali- 
ties. He  fixes  the  Half  King's  town  at  Springville,  in  Seneca  County. 
But  the  original  manuscripts  of  the  missionaries  show  that  the  Half 
King's  town  was  on  the  Sandusky,  whereas  Springville  is  nearly  ten 
miles  away  from  it.  Moreover,  at  the  rate  the  Indians  were  traveling, 
it  is  quite  impossible  that  they  could  have  gone,  in  three  and  a  half  days, 
from  Iiiouut  Vernon,  in  Knox  County,  to  Seneca  County. 


DAVID   ZEISBERGER. 


517 


As  this  village  received  no  name  at  the  time,  we,  will, 
call  it  Captives'  Town.  Here  the  Zcisborger  and  Jung-- 
maun  families  occupied  a  cabin  in  common,  suftering  for 
want  of  clothing  and  blankets,  and  with  hardly  enough 
food  to  satisfy  the  worst  cravings  of  hunger.  The  rest 
of  the  missionaries  made  similar  experiences. 

As  if  in  derision  of  all  this,  Pomoacan  came  to  con- 
gratulate the  converts  upon  their  safe  arrival  in  his 
country,  the  abundance  of  which  he  put  at  their  disposal. 
At  the  same  time  he  proclaimed  himself  their  oh,  f,  and 
announced  that  he  would  organize  them  into  war-par- 
ties and  lead  them  out  against  the  Americans.  Soon 
after  this,  however,  when  news  reached  him  of  the 
death  of  two  of  his  sons,  who  fell  in  an  attack  upon  the 
frontiers,  he  conceived  a  bitter  dislike  to  them,  espe- 
cially to  their  teachers,  and,  with  a  perverseness  char- 
acteristic of  the  Indian,  blamed  the  missionaries  for  his 
loss.  Other  visitors  were  not  wanting.  Such  Deluwares 
as  had  persistently  opposed  the  Gospel  flocked  to  the 
town  in  triumph ;  while  an  agent  of  McKee  hastened  to 
bargain  with  them  for  their  cattle  at  reduced  prices. 

On  the  fourteenth  of  October,  "VVingenund  and  Cap- 
tain Pipe's  brother  brought  the  missionaries  a  summons 
from  the  commandant  at  Detroit  to  present  themselves 
before  him  for  trial,  with  their  families  and  some  of  the 
national  assistants. 

Meanwhile  the  most  conflicting  reports  of  the  fate  of 
the  Mission  had  been  agitating  Bethlehem.     The  Board^ 
dispatched  John  Wiegand  to  Pittsburg  to  ascertain  thej 
truth. 


■( 


IT 


518 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER    XXXIII. 


Ill 


■*■  ■:    V,i 


THE   TRIAL   AND  ACQUITTAL  OF   THE   MISSIONARIES.— 178L 

Journey  of  the  nii^sioiiar'u's  to  Detroit. — Scliebo.^h  find  a  party  of  Chris- 
tian Indians  captured  by  American  militia. — The  Bhick  Swamp.— 
Preliminary  hearing  at  Detroit. — Tlio  missionaries  at  Tybout's  house. 
— Negotiations  with  Captain  Pipe. — News  at  Bethlelicm  of  the  de- 
struction of  the  Mission. — The  trial  of  the  missionaries. — Pipe's  speech 
in  their  favor. — Their  examination  by  the  commandant. — They  are 
acquitted. — The  commandant'.s  private  interview  with  them. — His 
kindness  and  character. — Keturn  of  the  missionaries  to  their  converts. 
— The  night-gathering  on  the  bank  of  the  Sandusky. — A  church  built 
and  dedicated. 

,    The  teachers  were  ready  to  go  to  Detroit,  but  not  to 

carry  along  their  families.'     By  permission  of  the  cap- 

l  tains  who  had  brought  the  summons,  their  wives  and 

|ohildren  remained  at  Captives'  Town,  with  Jungmann 

and  Jung  as  their  protectors;  while  Zeisberger,  Sense- 

jman,  Edwards,   and   Heckewelder,   together  with   the 

I  national  assistants,  William,  Tobias,  and  Isaac  Eschica- 

jnahund,  set  out  for  Detroit  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  Octo- 

I  ber.    At  the  same  time  Schebosh  led  a  party  of  converts 

I  to  their  plantations  in  the  Tuscarawas  valley  to  gather 

'  corn,  there  being  a  dire  famine  along  the  Sandusky. 

At  Pipe's  Town,  where  they  arrived  in  the  afternoon,^ 


it 


'  Zeisberger 's  Journal,  1781  ;  Heckewelder's  English  Narrative. 
MSS.  B.  A. 

*  Pipe's  Town  was,  therefore,  only  a  few  hours'  rido  from  Captives' 
Town.  Hence  Taylor  {Hist,  of  Ohio,  382)  is  wrong  when  he  puts  it  on 
the  Tymochtee,  eight  miles  above  its  junction  with  the  Sanduslcy. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


519 


I    Narrative. 


the  missionaries  expected  to  put  themselves  under  the 
orders  of  Pipe  and  Wingenund,  who  had  been  detailed 
as  their  escort.  But  the  former  had  not  waited  for 
them,  and  the  latter  was  unwilling  to  take  them  in 
charge.  Hence  they  pursued  their  journey  alone. 
Strange  anomaly, — prisoners,  to  be  tried  as  spies,  are 
left  to  themselves !  Without  a  guard,  opportunities 
opening  on  every  side  to  flee  to  the  settlements,  they 
are  allowed  to  find  their  own  way  into  the  presence  of 
their  judge ! 

Three  days'  hard  riding  brought  them  to  the  Maumee 
River,  on  whose  bank  Pipe  was  encamped  with  many 
Delawares.  Here  they  stopped  to  rest;  and,  by  a 
strange  coincidence,  met  with  Elliot  going  to  distribute 
among  the  warriors  of  his  late  command  the  rewards 
which  had  been  sent  by  the  British  government  to 
Maumee  Bay,  in  a  sloop  from  Detroit.  Here,  too,  they 
received  intelligence  of  the  capture  of  Schebosh's  party 
by  a  body  of  American  militia,  under  Colonel  David 
Williamson.  These  militia  had  invaded  the  Tuscarawas 
valley  in  order  to  remove  the  Christian  Indians  to  Pitts- 
burg, by  force  if  necessary,  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  the 
iuglorioas  achievement  of  breaking  up  the  Mission  had 
already  been  accomplished  by  the  British.' 

Following  the  Maumee  down  to  the  lake,  Zeisberger; 
and  his  companions  saw  many  Indians  gliding  home/ 
with  the  gifts  thus  ignobly  earned.  Whatever  feelinga 
this  might  bave  awakened  under  other  circumstancesj 


Doddridge's  Notes,  262. 


i^i^ 


r^li.j- 


520 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


the  hardships  of  the  trail  precluded  every  thought  of  the 
past.  They  were  in  the  midst  of  the  horrors  of  the 
Black  Swamp.  Plunging  through  mud-holes,  creeks, 
and  half-frozen  morasses,  or  entangled  in  undergrowth 
that  was  almost  Impassable,  they  had  to  rouse  all  their 
energies  in  surmounting  these  obsta'  ^es,  especially  as 
they  were  benumbed  with  cold,  agair  hich  their  thiu 
and  scanty  garments  ottered  but  an  lusutiicient  protec- 
tion. Even  men  used  as  the}'  were  to  the  trials  of  the 
wilderness  acknowledged  that  day  to  have  been  one 
of  unprecedented  sufferings.^  At  last  they  reached 
the  outlet  of  the  Rouge  into  the  Detroit  River,  with 
Detroit  itself  only  five  miles  otf.  They  could  see  the 
fort  in  the  distance,  but  there  was  no  means  of  cross- 
ing the  stream.  They  spent  the  night  on  a  bleak 
point,  exposed  to  a  chilling  wind,  without  a  morsel 
to  eat,  or  a  fire  to  warm  them,  until,  early  next  morn- 
ing, a  canoe  with  Indians  hove  in  sight,  who  set  them 
over,  in  answer  to  their  signals.  Tattered  and  weary, 
hungry  and  friendless,  they  arrived  at  the  western 
gate  of  the  town,  where  they  were  kept  waiting  for 
hours  on  the  drawbridge,  and  then  led  to  the  house 
of  Major  de  Peyster.  A  sentinel  ushered  them  into  his 
presence. 


/■  1  In  a  lecture  on  "the  Moravians  in  Michigan,"  delivered  before  the 
Historical  Society  of  that  State,  in  March,  1858,  Judge  Campbell,  of  De- 
troit, pays  of  this  journey  :  "  The  journey  through  the  Black  Swamp, 
from  Sandusky  to  Detroit,  can  be  appreciated  by  those  who  have  lived 
here  long  enough  to  experience  the  inconvenience  of  that  almost  impass- 
able barrier  between  Michigan  and  the  rest  of  the  world." 


n 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


521 


"Arc  you  the  Moravian  missionaries  from  the  Musk- 
ingum ?"  began  the  commandant. 

"We  are." 

"Are  you  all  here?  I  have  heard  that  there  are  six 
of  you.     "Where  are  the  rest?" 

'*  Two  of  our  numl)  r  remained  on  the  Sandusky 
with  our  wives  and  children,  whom  we  could  not  leave 
alone." 

'*  Why  did  you  not  bring  along  your  wives  and  chil- 
dren, as  I  expressly  ordered?  I  intend  to  send  you  all 
back  to  Philadelphia." 

"We  asked  the  chiefs  whether  our  families  must 
accompany  us,  and  they  said  it  was  not  necessary." 

"I  have  heard  that  you  correspond  with  the  rebels 
to  the  injury  of  this  government;  many  accusations 
have  been  brought  against  you;  for  these  reasons  I 
have  had  you  removed  from  your  settlements  on  the 
Muskingum." 

"We  do  not  doubt  that  many  accusations  have  been 
brought  against  us;  the  treatment  we  have  received  suf- 
ficiently proves  that.  But  we  know  that  you  have  been 
told  much  that  is  false,  and  which,  when  examined  into, 
will  appear  in  a  light  very  dift'erent  from  that  in  which 
you  have  been  made  to  see  it." 

"  Where  are  your  Indians?  What  is  their  number? 
How  many  of  them  are  men  ?" 

"  Our  Indians  are  on  the  Sandusky,  numbering  about 
four  hundred  persons.  The  exact  number  of  men  we 
cannot  give." 

"  Did  your  Indians  ever  go  to  war?" 


1   1 


hi  ' 


C- 


V^X^'  -^ 


'U:.- 


} 


yU-'ii^- 


w 


X^y<^: 


622 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


III 


m 


K. 


"  Never,  while  under  our  charge." 

"Do  you  intend  to  return  to  them  ?" 

"  That  is  our  earnest  desire.  We  would  deeply  re- 
gret, and  it  would  be  wholly  unjustifiable,  if  we  were 
prevented  from  rejoining  them.  In  that  ease  the  Mis- 
sion would  be  ruined  and  the  work  of  the  Moravian 
Brethren  among  the  Indians,  which  has  now  existed 
forty  years,  would  come  to  an  end." 

"  Do  you  think  so  ?  But  what  if  your  Indians  injure 
the  British  government  ?" 

"  They  will  not  injure  the  British  or  any  other  gov 
ernment,  as  you  will  understand  when  you  know  them 
and  us  better;  they  are  civilized,  and  have  learned  of  us 
to  be  industrious  and  to  work." 

After  this  preliminary  examination,  of  which  he  took 
notes,  the  commandant  dismissed  the  missionaries  to 
the  house  of  a  Frenchman,  one  Tybout,  there  to  await 
their  regular  trial,  which  was  to  take  place  upon  the 
arrival  of  Captain  Pipe,  their  principal  accuser.  They 
were  not  required  to  give  their  parole,  nor  put  under 
arrest.  Having  traveled,  unguarded,,  more  than  two 
hundred  miles  to  present  themselves  before  a  court- 
martial,  this  was.  no  doubt,  deemed  a  sufficient  guar- 
antee that  they  would  not  now  attempt  to  escape. 

Their  arrival  excited  much  attention,  and  many 
officers  called  to  see  them,  including  several  of  the 
American  army,  prisoners  of  war  at  Detroit.  The 
French  priest,  an  aged  Jesuit,  also  visited  them.  Sym- 
pathy with  their  misfortune  was  the  general  feeling  in 
the  town. 


DAVID  ZEISBERQER. 


623 


Zeisberger  made  repeated  attempts  to  get  another' 
audience  of  the  commandant,  and,  when  these  failed,  to 
present  a  memorial.  But  no  communication,  he  was 
told,  would  be  accepted  until  the  trial.  Hearing  that 
Pipe  was  come  and  lay  encamped  near  the  fort,  he 
turned  to  him  for  aid,  sent  him  a  string  and  speech, 
and  entreated  him  to  advocate  the  cause  of  the  teachers, 
that  they  might  get  back  to  their  families  and  Indians. 
"  Ho\v  sad  it  is,"  he  writes  in  his  Journal,  "  to  know  that 
our  fate  depends  upon  a  savage,  and  he  a  bitter  enemy 
of  the  Gospel,  when  we  are  among  persons  who  call 
themselves  Christians!"  Pipe  accepted  the  string  and 
speech,  but  gave  no  promise  of  assistance. 

On  the  same  day  on  which  these  negotiations  took 
place,  "Wiegand  returned  to  Bethlehem  fron\  Pittsburg, 
with  a  letter  from  Colonel  Brodhead  containing  the 
first  reliable  intelligence  of  the  abduction  of  i\\e  mis- 
s"onaries.  The  congregation  being  upon  the  point  of 
assembling  for  evening  worship,  the  news  was  imme- 
diately announced,  and  fervent  intercessions  went  up  to 
God  for  the  safety  of  His  servants.  Where  they  then 
were  had  not  yet  been  ascertained.  Joseph  Horsfield 
hastened,  the  next  morning,  to  New  York  to  inform 
Bishop  Reichel  and  Schweinitz  of  what  had  occurred, 
that  the  former,  who  was  about  to  sail  to  England, 
might  plead  the  cause  of  the  missionaries  hi  that  coun- 
try, and  the  latter  endeavor,  through  the  government  of 
New  York,  to  ascertain  their  fate  and  send  them  aid.' 


1  Bethlehem  Diary,  Nov.  1781.     MS.  L.  A. 


U-- 


\^  -■' 


/. 


t     K 


1,0-'^ 


W^W 


uj 


524 


LiFJS  AND   TIMES  OF 


i\' 


Captain  Pipe's  band  entered  Detroit  in  procession  on 

Jthe  eighth  of  November,  with  their  prisoners  and  scalps, 

;  whooping  the  scalp-yell.     The  trial  took  place  the  next 

[day  in  the  council-chamber  of  the  commandant's  house. 

/Major  de  Peyster  occupied  the  head  of  a  table  in  the 

center  of  the  room  ;  to  his  right  Mr.  Bawbee,  the  Indian 

Agent ;    to  his  left,  a   secretary.      Behind   them  were 

I  numerous  officers ;  and  behind  these,  interpreters  and 

1  servants.     The  missionaries  and  national  assistants  were 

ranged  on  a  bench  opposite  the  table;  on  one  side  of 

i  them  sat  Pipe  and  the  Delawares ;  on  the  other,  Min- 

i' 

'  goes  and  Indians  of  various  nationalities. 

^"^  A  few  words  from  the  commandant,  setting  forth  the 
purpose  of  the  "council,"  as  he  called  it,  opened  the 
proceedings.  Then  Pipe  rose  and  made  a  formal  speech,' 
giving  an  account  of  his  recent  exploits,  and  deliver- 
V  ing  a  stick  to  which  were  fastened  seven  human  scalps. 
A  Mingo  chief  followed  in  a  second  speech,  and  pre- 

-  sented  a  stick  with  three  scalps ;  he  was  succeeded  by 
other  warriors,  each  of  whom  brought  forward  the 
scalps  which  his  band  had  taken.  These  trophies  of 
barbarism  having  been  placed  in  a  corner,  the  "live 
flesh" — a  term  by  which  prisoners  were  known — was 
turned  over  to  the  keeping  of  the  guard. 

Pipe  now  rose  again.     "Father,"  said  he,  "you  com- 
manded me  to  remove  the  Christian  Indians  and  their 


•  This  speech  has  been  preserved  by  Heckeweldcr  in  his  Hisi.  of  the 
Indian  Nations  (pp.  121-124).     It  is  full  of  ironical  allusions  to  the  war 
"[  Eetween  Great  Britain  and  the  Colonies,  in  which  the  Indians  had  been 
(inveigled  to  take  part. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


625 


58ion  on 
i  scalps, 
the  next 
'a  house, 
e  in  the 
e  Indian 
3m  were 
iters  and 
mts  were 
!  side  of 
ler,  Min- 

forth  the 
ened  the 
1  speech/ 
I  deliver- 
in  scalps. 
and  pre- 
ceded by 
tvard  the 
aphies  of 
the  "live 
)wn — was 

you  com- 
and  their 


Hist,  of  the 
IS  to  the  wur 
ms  had  been 


teachers  from  the  Muskingum.     I  have  done   as  you 
commanded  me. 

"Father,  when  I  had  conducted  the  Christian  Indians 
and  their  teachers  to  the  Sandusky,  you  sent  me  word 
that  I  should  bring  the  teachers  and  some  of  the  Chris- 
tian Indian  chiefs  to  Detroit,  that  you  might  see  and 
speak  with  them. 

"  Father,  they  are  now  here,  and  you  can  see  and 
speak  with  them  as  you  wished  to  do. 

"Father,  I  hope  you  will  speak  kindly  to  them.  I 
say  to  you,  speak  good  words  to  them.  They  are 
my  friends.  I  do  not  want  them  to  be  treated  ':vith 
severity." 

Repeating  the  last  sentence  two  or  three  times,  he 
sat  down. 

The  commandant  answered  by  rehearsing  the  charges 
against  the  missionaries;  the  messages  he  had  trans- 
mitted to  them  to  leave  the  Muskingum  and  settle  else- 
where; and  the  measures  he  had  finally  adopted  to 
remove  them  by  force.  "Now  tell  me,"  he  continued, 
addressing  Pipe,  "whether  all  these  accusations  are 
correct  and  founded  in  fact,  and,  especially,  whether 
these  men  have  or  have  not  corresponded  with  the 
rebels." 

"  There  may  be  some  truth  in  the  accusations,"  re- 
plied the  captain.  "  I  am  not  prepared  to  say  that  all 
that  you  have  heard  is  false.  But  now  nothing  more 
of  that  sort  will  occur.     The  teachers  are  here." 

"  I  infer,  therefore,"  rejoined  the  commandant,  "  that 
these  men  have  corresponded  with  the  rebels ;  and  sent 


526 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


s  f  • 


i  J 


letters  to  Fort  Pitt.     From  your  answer  this  seems 
evident.     Tell  me,  is  it  so?" 

Pipe  grew  confused.  He  whispered  to  his  councilors, 
urging  them  to  speak ;  but  they  hung  their  heads  in 
silence.     At  last,  springing  to  his  feet,  he  exclaimed: 

"  Father,  I  have  said  that  there  may  be  some  truth  in 
the  reports  that  have  reached  you  ;  but  now  I  will  tell 
you  exactly  what  has  occurred.  These  teachers  are 
innocent.  On  their  own  account  they  never  wrote 
letters ;  they  had  to  do  it !  I,"  striking  upon  his  breast, 
"  and  the  chiefs  at  Goschachgiink  are  responsible.  We 
induced  these  teachers  to  write  letters  to  Pittsburg,  even 
at  such  times  when  they,  at  first,  declined.  But  this 
will  no  more  occur,  as  I  have  said,  because  they  are 
now  here." 

A  further  examination  elicited  the  fact  that  Pipe  and 
the  other  Delaware  captains  had  pledged  their  word  to 
the  Christian  Indians  that  their  teachers  should  remain 
with  them,  and  that  the  nation  considered  itself  bound 
by  this  promise. 

Turning  to  the  missionaries  themselves,  the  com- 
mandant inquired : 

"Are  you  all  ordained  ministers?" 

"We  are." 

"  Is  any  one  the  superior  among  you  ?" 

"Yes,  the  Rev.  David  Zeisberger." 

"  Mr.  Zeisberger,  how  long  have  you  and  your  col- 
/  leagues  been  with  the  Indians  ?" 

'  "Forty  years  ago  the  Mission  was  begun;  thirteen 
years  ago  I  came  to  the  West;  the  others  followed  at 
different  times." 


'■;  >.    .    ■■! 


DAVID  ZEISDEROER. 


527 


lis  seems 

ouncilors, 
heads  in 
aimed : 
e  truth  in 
I  will  tell 
.chei'S  arc 
ver  wrote 
his  breast, 
ible.     We 
burg,  even 
But  this 
e  they  are 

t  Pipe  and 
3ir  word  to 
uld  remain 
self  bound 

the  com- 


i  your  col- 

u;  thirteen 
followed  at 


"Did  you  go  out  among  the  Indians  of  your  own 
accord,  or  were  you  sent,  and  if  sent,  by  whom  ?" 

"  We  were  sent  by  our  Church,  which  is  an  ancient 
Episcopal  Church." 

"  Where  are  your  bishops  ?" 

"  In  Europe  and  America." 

"  Whence  do  your  American  bishops  come  ?" 

"From  Europe." 

"  Were  you  ordained  and  sent  out  by  your  bishops?" 

"We  were." 

"Did  you  receive  instructions  from  Congress  when 
you  went  out  among  the  Indians." 

"We  did  not,  but  from  our  bishop?." 

"Did  Congress  know  of  your  being  among  the  In- 
dians, and  give  you  permission  to  labor  among  them  ?" 

"Congress  knew  of  it,  and  in  no  way  hindered  our 
work,  but  never  gave  us  instructions." 

"  Have  you  taken  the  test-oath  ?" 

"We  have  not,  and  have  never  been  asked  to  do  so." 

"Then  I  will  not  exact  from  you  an  oath  of  allegiance 
to  the  British  government." 

After  this  conversation.  Major  de  Peyster  gave  his 
verdict.  To  the  missionaries  he  said  that  he  was  not 
opposed  to  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  among  the 
Indians,  on  the  contrary,  heartily  favored  it ;  but  that 
they  must  not  meddle  with  the  war ;  that  having  been 
falsely  accused,  they  were  at  liberty  to  return  to  their 
converts  as  soon  as  they  pleased ;  that  he  would  consult 
the  commander-in-chief,  at  Quebec,  with  regard  to  their 
future  place  of  residence ;  that  he  would  further  confer 


II- 


528 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


I  iiy 


with  them;   unci  that,  as  they  had  been  plundered,  he 
would  supply  them  with  clothing  from  the  public  stores. 

To  the  national  assistants  he  said  that  he  was  glad 
to  see  them;  that  they  should  obey  their  teachers,  and 
not  interfere  with  the  war ;  that  he  would  provide  for 
their  wants,  and  if  any  of  their  people  hereafter  visited 
him  they  should  not  go  away  with  empty  hands.  Then 
the  council  broke  up. 

At  a  subsequent  interview  with  the  missionaries,  he 
excused  himself  for  having  removed  them  from  the 
Tuscarawas  valley,  assuring  them  that  his  duty,  as  a 
sworn  officer  of  Great  Britain,  had  demanded  the 
measure;  but  earnestly  protested  that  he  had  never 
given  orders  to  maltreat  and  rob  them,  or  plunder  their 
homes,  and  had  never  intended  that  anything  of  this 
kind  should  be  done.  True  to  his  promise,  he  furnished 
them  with  clothing,  and  redeemed  their  watches  which 
the  Wyandots  had  sold  to  Detroit  traders.  His  example 
was  followed  by  others  in  the  town,  who  voluntarily 
restored  to  them  such  articles  of  their  property  as  had 
been  disposed  of  by  the  Indians. 

The  readiness  with  which  De  Peyster  accepted  the 
explanations  of  Captain  Pipe  presents  his  character  in  a 
favorable  light  when  compared  with  that  of  Hamilton. 
Like  his  predecessor,  he  encouraged,  indeed,  the  cruel- 
ties of  the  Indian  "War,  but  these  belonged  to  that  in- 
human policy  which  the  Americans  had,  by  this  time, 
learned  almost  as  well  as  the  English.  It  was  deemed, 
by  the  one  side,  a  legitimate  means  to  reduce  the  rebels, 
and,  by  the  other,  a  just  mode  of  retaliation.    But  while 


X 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


529 


Hamilton  pursued  it  with    ungenerous  vindictiveness, 
De  Peyster  looked  upon  it  as  a  necessary  evil.    The  one 
was  a  vulgar  ruffian  ;  the  other  a  high-toned  gentleman. 
Supplied  with  a  passport  which  permitted  them  to 
resume   their    missionary  labors,'   Zeisberger    and    his  , 
brethren  hastened  back  to  their  families  and  people, 
arriving  at  Captives'  Town  on  the  twenty-second  of  No- 
vember.   Five  days  later  the  Christian  Indians  and  their 
teachers  met  around  a  large  tire,  on  the  bank  of  the 
river,  under  the  open  canopy  of  heaven.     The  night 
was  clear,  the  stars  looked  down  with  solemn  bright- 
ness, the  crackling  logs  threw  a  lurid  glare  upon  the 
houses  of  the  town,  and  conjured  into  existence  fan- 
tastic shapes  in  the  dark  forest  beyond.     Standing  in 
the  center  of  the  circle,  Zeisberger  gave  the  converts 
a  narrative  of  the  journey,  trial,  and  acquittal  of  their 
teachers,  exhorting  them  to  render  the  glory  unto  God.  j 
A  unanimous  resolution  to  erect  a  church,  as  a  thank- 1 
offering,  was  the  response ;  and  in  less  than  a  fortnight  | 
it  was  completed  and  dedicated  to  the  worship  of  the  \ 
Most  High  (December  8).    It  was  a  structure  of  poles  '-. 
laid  horizontally  between  upright  stakes,  the  crevices  ] 
being  filled  with  moss. 


1  By  Arent  Schuyler  de  Peyster,  Esq.,  Major  of  the  King's  8th  Eegl-  \ 
ment,  Commandant  of  Detroit  and  its  Dependencies,  etc.  The  bearers,  / 
David  Zeisberger,  John  Heckewelder,  William  Edwards,  and  Gottlob  i 
Scnseman,  are  hereby  permitted  to  return  to  Sandusky,  there  to  remain  | 
with  John  George  Jungmann  and  Michael  Jung,  and  to  follow  their  | 
spiritual  functions  among  the  Christian  Indians  unmolested,  they  bo- { 
having  as  becometh.  "^ 


Given  under  my  hand  and  the  seal  of  Detroit,  November  12,  1781 

34 


530 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER   XXXIV. 

THE  MISSIONARIES  AT  CAPTIVES'  TOWN  UNTIL  THEIR  REMAND- 
MENT  TO  DETROIT.— 1781,  1782. 

Severity  of  the  winter. — A  famine. — Sufferings  of  the  missionaries.— 
Mrs.  Zeisberger's  testimony. — Return  of  the  captured  converts  from 
Pittsburg. — Visit  of  the  Half  King,  and  Glilvkikan's  stinging  rebuke. 
— Insolent  conduct  of  the  heathen  Indians. — Zeisberger's  influence 
among  them  at  an  end. — A  party  of  converts  go  to  the  Tuscarawas. 
— The  missionaries  remanded  to  Detroit.  —  Zeisberger's  anguish  of 
heart. — The  scattered  converts  recalled  to  Captives'  Town. — Rumor 
of  a  massacre  on  the  Tuscarawas.  —  Departure  and  journey  of  the 
missionaries  to  Lower  Sandusky. — Authentic  news  of  the  massacre. 


The  missionaries,  as  well  as  their  converts,  had  need 
of  all  the  faith  which  the  assembly  on  the  bank  of  the 
Sandusky  had  evoked.  The  winter  that  followed  was 
uncommonly  rigorous,  and  the  contrast  between  its 
hardships  and  the  comforts  of  their  homes  in  the  Tus- 
carawas valley  painful  in  the  highest  degree. 

In  spite  of  McCormick's  friendship,  who  sent  them 
provisions  from  Lower  Sandusky,  and  the  assistance 
rendered  by  the  S,hawanese  of  the  Scioto,  in  remem- 
brance of  what  the  Moravians  had  done  for  them,  thirty 
years  ago,  in  a  time  of  scarcitj',  when  they  were  living 
in  Wyoming,  the  insufficiency  of  their  supplies  grew 
more  and  more  aggravated,  and,  at  last,  caused  a  ter- 

i  rible  famine.     A  bushel  of  corn  sold  at  eight  dollars. 

■  The  missionaries  reduced  their  allowance  to  one  pint  a 


-'.. 


'.X-^-i^^-vv^^. 


'•  wy 


DAVID  ZEISBERGEE. 


531 


day  for   each  momljcr  of  their  families ;    the   Indians 
often  had  nothing  to  eat  but  wild  potatoes  and  the  flesh 
of  their  dead  cattle,  of  which  one  hundred  and  forty 
head  miserably  pined  away  and  perished.    The  cold,  too, 
became  extreme,  and,  owing  to   the  smallness  of  the 
liouses,  no  generous  fires,  such  as  had  warmed  their 
former  dwellings,  could  be  kindled.     In  a  brief  autobi-^ 
o^-aphy^written  after  her  ret i remQn t jfrpm.  thQ^Iisgion , 
Mrs.  Zeisberger  gives  a  dreary  glimpse  of  the  sufferings 
of  that  winter:  "Many  a  time,"  she  says,  "the  Indians 
shared  their  last  morsel  with  me,  for  many  a  time  I  | 
spent  eight  days  in  succession  without  any  food  of  my> 
own." 

In  the  midst  of  this  distress,  some  of  those  converts 
whom  Williamson's  men  had  carried  oft'  to  Pittsburg 
returned  to  the  Mission,  having  been  set  at  liberty  by 
General  Irvine,  Broadhead's  successor  in  the  command 
of  the   Western   Department.'     As   soon  as  the  Half 
King  heard  of  their  arrival,  he  came  with  a  troop  of 
warriors  to  learn  the  news.     At  Zeisberger's  requests 
Isaac  Glikkikan  undertook  the  entertainment  of  these/, 
visitors,  but  found  absolutely  nothing  to  eat  in  the  wholev. 
town,  excepting  carrion.   With  deep  indignation  he  pre-| 
sented  himself  before  Pomoacan,  described  his  bootless  \ 


1  Schebosh  did  not  return  with  thorn,  but  proceeded  to  Bethl(3hem  to 
report  to  the  Board,  which,  for  more  than  one-quarter  of  a  year,  could 
not  ascertain  whither  the  Christian  Indians  'nid  been  abducted.  The 
first  intelligence  which  reached  the  Board  of  the  settlement  on  t!ie 
Sandusky  was  conveyed  to  Bishop  Hohl  by  a  letter  from  Schebosh, 
written  while  a  prisoner,  and  forwarded  from  Litiz  to  Bethlehem,  where 
it  arrived  on  the  15th  of  December,  1781. 


o 


■■^' 


i. 


WM::  :   •'■ 


l-y 


532 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


/searc'u  for  food,  contrasted  it  with  the  plenty  that  had 
prevailed  in  the  Tuscarawas  towns,  and  reminded  liim 
of  his  promise  to  take  the  Christian  Indians  to  a  hetter 
land  than  theirs.  "  Yes,"  said  he,  "  you  have  brought 
us  to  another,  but  not  to  a  better  land.  It  is  a  miser- 
able country;  and  you  have  not  offered  us  one  single 
grain  of  corn.  We  suffer;  }ou  rejoice.  We  are  perish- 
ing; you  triumph  over  us!"  So  unexpected  and  yet 
well  deserved  was  this  rebuke,  that  the  Wyandots  knew 

.not  what  to  answer,  and  hurried  away. 

But  the  heathen  Indians  were  not  often  thus  abashed. 
On  the  contrary,  they  showed  themselves  rude  and  inso- 
lent, glorying  in  the  distress  of  the  converts,  and  saying 
that  now  these  Christians  were  not  above  other  Indians, 
but  as  poor  as  any.  And  when  they  found  them  erect- 
ing a  chapel,  they  threatened  the  lives  of  the  mission- 
aries. There  should  be  no  more  praying  and  preaching 
h  the  Indian  country.  Or  when  they  met  with  con- 
verts who  had  rendered  themselves  liable  to  discipline, 
they  incited  such  to  resist  Zeisberger's  authority.  The 
teachers  were  their  prisoners,  and  had  no  right  to 
punish  a  red  man.  In  short,  the  relationship  between 
the  Mission  and  the  unconverted  natives  was  com- 
pletely changed ;  and  Zeisberger,  accustomed  to  mould 
the  savage  mind  almost  at  will,  whether  as  a  councilor 
or  a  preacher,  saw  himself  suddenly  without  influence, 
and  even  laughed  at  if  he  attempted  to  proclaim  the 
'unsearchable  riches  of  Christ. 

The  famine  increasing,  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
Christian  Indians,  by  permission  of  the  Half  King,  set 


DAVID  ZEISBERQRR. 


588 


out  for  the  Tuscarawas  to  gather  corn ;  others  visited 
the  Shavvanese;  and  still  others  roamed  throuffli  the 
forests,  boiling  maple  sugar.  By  the  end  of  February, 
almost  the  entire  Mission  had  scattered  ;  the  teachers 
and  a  few  old  people  remained  in  the  town. 

On  the  first  of  March,  a  runner  called  Zeisbergor  tON 
the  Half  King's  village.     He  found  a  council  of  Wyan- 1 
dots   and    Delawares   assembled,  and   Simon   Girty  in 
attendance,  who  gave  him  a  letter  to  read  which  he  had 
received  fiom  Major  de  Peyster.     It  contained  the  fol- 
lowing passage  :  "  You  will  please  to  present  the  string.* 

I 

I  send  you  to  the  Half  King,  and  tell  him  that  I  have! 
listened  to  his  wishes.  I  therefore  hope  he  will  give 
you  such  assistance  as  you  may  need  in  order  to  bring  i 
the  teachers  and  their  families  from  the  Sandusky  toj 
this  place.  I  will  by  no  means  allow  you  to  suffer  themj 
to  be  plundered  or  in  any  way  ill  treated." 

Never  did  blow  fall  more  unexpectedly  upon  a 
troubled  heart.  In  spite  of  the  difficulties  which  sur- 
rounded him,  Zeisberger  had  anticipated  a  gradual 
reorganization  of  the  Mission,  either  in  the  Sandusky 
valley,  or  at  some  other  place,  on  the  plan  which  had 
proved  so  successful  in  the  valley  of  the  Tuscarawas. 
He  had  the  written  promise  of  the  commandant  that  he , 

should  not  be  hindered  in  his  work ;  and  there  existed  I 

j 
no  other  cause  which  could  make  the  future  hopeless. ; 

But  now  came  this  order.     To  obey  it,  was  to  disperse  I 

the  converts ;  to  render  void,  in  a  day,  the  labor  of  forty/ 

years.     Hence  the  anguish  of  Zeisberger's  soul.     "We, 

cannot  be  satisfied,"  he  writes  in  his  Journal,  "  to  leave  J 


iLki  I, 


K_J^ 


i^-'.J^le.jl^ 


534 


J^.t'^  ■ 


/ 


'(^■O 


n^ 


^1 ',  •  *Jl^  t^i^^OL\ 


VC^ 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


,our  Indians.     It  seems  impossible  tluit  the  Lord  will 

permit  it.     If  we  were  to  be  slain  it  would  be  better,  we 

j  would  then  be  relieved,  at  last,  of  all  our  troubles;  but 

Inow  wo   seem   to   be   reserved  for  many  deaths.     Our 

thoughts  stand  still;  our  counsels  come  to  naught." 

Zeisberger  having  given  a  written  pledge  to  meet 
Girty,  with  the  whole  Mission  family,  in  two  weeks 
at  Lower  Sandusky,  runners  were  dispatched  to  the 
Shawancse  villages,  the  Tuscarawas  vlilley,  and  the 
forests  arr'vaid  Captives'  Town  to  recall  the  converts. 
Those  neai  by  came  at  once,  and  when  informed  that 
the  missionaries  Avere  to  leave  them,  wept  and  lamented 
"  in  a  way,"  writes  Zcisberger,  "that  might  have  moved 
a  stone."  Confessions  of  sin  and  sentiments  of  manly 
faith  wore  not  wanting.  Said  one:  "That  I  have  lost  all 
my  property  and  am  poor,  that  my  cattle  are  dead,  that 
I  must  suffer  hunger — all  this  I  bear  and  complain  not; 
but  that  our  enemies  are  about  to  deprive  us  of  our 
teachers,  and  keep  food  from  our  souls — this  I  cannot 
bear,  it  deeply  wounds  my  heart.  They  shall,  however, 
see  that  I  will  have  no  communion  with  them,  and  will 
not  be  enticed  back  to  heathenism.  They  shall  not  get 
me  into  tlieir  power,  or  force  me  to  grieve  the  Saviour. 
Kather  will  I  flee  to  the  forest  and  miserably  eke  out  my 
life  alone!" 

On  the  twelfth  of  March,  some  of  the  converts  re- 
turned from  the  Shawauese  country,  but  not  one  from 
the  Tuscarawas.  Zeisberger  neut  another  urgent  mes- 
sage, bidding  them  hasten  to  their  teachers.  And  still 
ithey  came  not.     He  could  not  divine  the  cause.     At  last 


_  >, 


D-dF/i^   ZEISBERGER. 


686 


there  arrived  a  Delaware  warrior  with  the  news  tliat  they 
had  heeu  captured  hy  American  militia,  and  suhHo- 
qiiently,  report  said,  put  to  death.  So  great,  however, 
was  Zeitibergcr's  contidenee  in  the  integrity  of  the  officers 
at  Pittaburg,  that  he  gave  no  credit  to  the  rumor  of  a 
massacre.  He  deemed  it  possible  that  they  had  been 
carried  oft";  but  ho  could  not  be  induced  to  believe  that 
Indians,  whom  the  whole  West  knew  to  be  professors 
of  Christianity,  had  been  slain  in  cold  blood. 

Nevertheless  the  uncertainty  of  their  fate  was  distress- 
ing, more  especially  as  the  missionaries  could  no  longer 
postpone  their  departure.  "With  those  converts  that  had 
gathered  at  Captives'  Town  Zeisberger  held  a  farewell 
service,  on  the  fifteenth;  commending  them  to  God; 
exhorting  them  to  stand  fast  in  the  faith  and  endure  to 
the  end.  The  separation  itself  wrung  his  soul.  He 
was  filled  with  the  darkest  forebodings;  and  when,  at 
last,  he  tore  himself  away,  "  it  was,"  says  Ileckewelder, 
*'with  an  agony  almost  like  the  agony  of  death." 

Guided  by  Francis  Levallie,  a  Frenchman,  whom  Girty 
had  deputed  to  take  his  place,  the  little  band  of  teachers 
moved  off,  in  the  presence  of  the  Half  King,  who 
watched  them  with  exultant  eyes.  Not  being  able  to 
muster  enough  horses,  some  of  them  had  to  travel  afoot. 
Th^e_^wo  children  of  _the_Mismon,*  wrapped  in  blankets, 
were  carried  by  ^ndian  women  on  their  backs. 

A  weary  journey  of  four  days  brought  them  to  Lower 


i 


•J- 


*  Joanna  Maria  Hcckcwelder,  who  was  nearly  a  year  old,  and  Chris- 
tian David  Senseman,  not  yet  seven  months  of  age. 


it   ;.! 


536 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


Sandusky,*  where    they  were    hospitably  received    by 
Messrs.  Arundle  and   Robbins,  traders  from    Detroit. 
Lower  Sandusky  was  at  the  head  of  navigation,  and 
they  were  here  to  take  boats,  which  Major  de  Peyster 
had  promised  to  send.   While  waiting  to  embark,  Joshua 
and  Jacob  arrived  from  Captives'  Town  with  their  lug- 
gage (March  23),  and  brought  at  the  same  time  the  most 
-  heart-rending  corroboration  of  the  reported  massacre  in 
I  the  Tuscarawas  valley.     Of  the  converts  who  had  gone 
I  thither  nearly  two-thirds — men,  women,  and  children — 


L_had  been  put  to  death. 


1  A   trading-post,  near  which   lay  a  small  Wyandot  village.     The 
present  Fremont,  in  Sandusky  County,  occupies  the  old  site. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGEU. 


537 


ived  by 
Detroit. 
:ion,  and 
I  Peystev 
c,  Joshua 
heir  hig- 
the  most 
issacre  in 
had  gone 
liildren— 


illago.    The 


CHAPTER   XXXV. 

THE   MASSACRE  AT   QNADENIIUTTEN.— 1782. 

The  suspicions  to  which  the  Tuscarawas  towns  of  the  Christian  Indians 
expose  them. — They  hear  the  ill-will  hoth  of  the  Americans  and  the 
Briti-sh. — The  animosity  of  the  borderers  against  all  Indians. — The 
first  attack  upon  the  frontier  in  1782. — Jloravian  Indians  accused  of 
having  taken  part  in  it. — Williamson's  militia. — The  converts  arrive 
in  the  Tuscarawas  valley,  and  liarvost  their  corn. — Warning  of  a  war- 
party. — AVilliamson's  command  takes  Gnadonhiiiton. — The  Indians 
duped  by  a  pretense  of  friendship. — The  Salem  Indians  snared  in  tho 
same  way. — Salem  burned  to  the  ground. — Religious  conversation, 
with  the  militia  on  their  way  to  Gnadenhiitten. — The  Indians  sei/ed, 
bound,  and  put  under  guard. — The  accusations  against  them  rebutted. 
— A  majority  of  W^illianison's  comniiind  vote  in  favor  of  putting  them 
to  death. — The  preparations  of  the  converts  for  their  end. — The  mas- 
sacre.— Escape  of  two  lads. — Number  and  names  of  tho  victims. — 
Their  heroic  death. — Gnadenhiitten  and  New  Scbonbrunn  burned  to 
the  ground. — Escape  of  the  New  Schonbrunn  Indians. — The  character 
of  tho  expedition  against  the  Christian  towns. — Doddridge's  views. 

While'  living  in  their  towns  on  tlie  Tuscarawas,  the\ 
Christian  Indians  were  an  object  of  suspicion  not  to  the; 
British  only  ;  frontierinen  on  the  American  side  looked 
upon  them  with  equal  distrust,  ignorant  of  the  benefits 
which  the  settlements  were  deriving  from  the  Mi.ssion.  \ 
The  officers  of  the  military  posts  might,  indeed,  have 
enlightened  them;   but  their  lips  were  sealed  by  pru- 


1  Sources  for  this  chapter  are:  Zelsbergor's  Journal,  March,  1782, 
MS.  B.  A.^  Heckewelder's  English  Narrativcof  tho  Massacre,  MS.  B.  .\,; 
Heckewelder's  History  of  the  Mission ;  Doddridgts  Notes ;  Pennsylvania 
Archives,  vol.  ix.;  Taylor's  History  of  Ohio. 


538 


J 


W 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


' 


deutial  reasons.  Thus  the  converts  were  placed  in  a 
false  position.  Their  towns,  it  was  commonly  said, 
formed  "half-way  houses,"  where  the  warriors  rendez- 
voused and  gained  strength  for  their  murderous  expe- 
ditions. That  they  entertained  war-parties  is  undeni- 
able ;  but  this  was  a  necessitj'^,  forced  upon  them  by 
the  sacred  laws  of  hospitality  and  by  a  local  situation 
that  put  them  at  the  mercy  of  the  savages.  This  situa- 
tion was  their  misfortune.  It  brought  them  the  ill-will 
of  both  parties.  The  British  heaped  maledictions  upon 
them  as  American  spies ;  the  Americans  burned  with 
indignation  against  them  as  allies  of  the  British.  Taylor 
well  says:  "It  was  the  peculiar  hardship  of  these  inof- 
fensive religionists,  that  every  act  of  benevolence  or 
humanity,  on  their  part,  was  sure  to  excite  distrust  and 
hostility  in  some  quarter.  But  whatever  appeared  like 
a  complication  with  the  savage  enemy  was  so  notorious 
as  to  provoke  exaggeration,  while  the  evidence  of  an 
opposite  or  friendly  disposition  was  diligently  guarded 
by  IMorgan,  Mcintosh,  or  Broadhead  as  confidential 
communications." ' 

In  addition  to  all  this,  there  prevailed  along  the 
"Western  border  an  intense  hatred  of  Indians  in  gen- 
eral, W'ho,  by  common  consent,  were  outlawed.  Their 
barbarous  cruelties  had  evoked  this  spirit.  The  last 
years  of  the  Revolution,  in  the  "West,  were  years  of 
blood.  From  early  spring  to  the  beginning  of  winter, 
murders  were  committed  in  every  direction.*  The 
frontier  was   almost    uninhabitable ;    the   people   lived 

1  Taylor's  Ohio,  p.  346. 


2^ 


iced  in  a 
)ii]y  said, 
'8  rendez- 
OU3  expe- 
3   undeni- 

them  by 
i  situation 
'his  situa- 
the  ill-will 
tions  upon 
rued  with 
h.    Taylor 
these  inof- 
7olence  or 
istrust  and 
)  eared  like 
)  notorious 
ence  of  an 

y  guarded 
;onfidential 

along  the 
Lus  in  gen- 

cd.    Their 

The  last 

c   years  of 

of  winter, 
tion.*  The 
eoplo   lived 


f>)/uv^^A  u-..  ^'  Y 


DAVID  ZEISDEBGER. 


639 


in  stockade  furts;  worked  their  little  fields  in  parties 
under  arms  witli  scouts  on  the  watch ;  had  their  cattle 
killed,  their  horses  carried  off,  and  their  cabins  burned;  > 
and  saw  the  plantations  which  they  had  reclaimed  with 
heavy  toil  lap.^ing  again  into  their  original  wildness. 
Moreover,  few  I'amilies  could  be  found  that  had  not  lost 
some  memhers  by  the  merciless  hands  of  the  savages. 
It  may  well  be  said,  that  in  the  Pontiac  Conspiracy 
Pennsylvania  never  thirsted  for  vengeance  as  the  West 
did  now,  amid  the  closing  acts  of  the  Revolutionary 
War. 

Such  was  the  state  of  feeling  when,  in  the  beginning, 
of  1782,   war-parties   from   Sandusky   appeared    much' 
earlier  than  usual,  before  the  last  of  the  winter  mouths' 
was  past      One  of  these  ^nuids  attacked  the  farm  of 
William  Wallace,  murdered  his  wife  and  five  children 
— impaling  one  of  the  children  with  its  face  toward  the; 

settlements  and  its  belly  toward  the  Indian  country —  - 

-J 

and  carried  off"  John  Carpenter  as  a  prisoner. 

This  monstrous  deed  roused  the  whole  frontier,  and 
the  opinion  gained  ground  that  the  Christian  Indians . 
had  either  themselves  been  engaged  in  it,  or  that  the 
savages  had  spent  the  winter  in  their  towns.     In  eitherj 
case,  these  "  half-way  houses"  must  be  destroyed.    About ' 
ninety  men,'  many  of  them  mounted,  mainly  from  the 
settlements    on    the    Monongahela,    were    collected    iu\ 
great  haate,  rendezvoused  at  the  Mingo  Bottom,^  and] 


'  Some  authorities  ostiiiiate  tho  numbor  to  have  been  more  tliuii  ono 
hundred  and  fifty  men. 

'  Mingo  Village,  or  Mingo  Bottom,  was  ■^u  the  west  bank  of  the  Ohio, 
seventy-fivo  miles  below  Pittsburg. 


liihi 


M  I 


540 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


thence  set  out  for  the  Tuscarawas,  with  Colonel  David 
"Williamson  as  their  commander. 

Meanwhile  the  converts  were  on  their  peaceful  way  to 
the  same  place,  unsuspicious  of  danger,  and  encouraged 
to  proceed  by  several  of  their  friends  who  had  heen  with 
Schehosh's  party,  and  were  loud  in  their  praises  of  Gen- 
eral Irvine  and  his  officers  at  Pittsburg.  Arrived  in  the 
valley,  the  Indians  scattered  to  their  towns,  each  family 
occupying  its  former  house,  and  organized  three  little 
churches,  of  which  the  national  assistants  took  charge. 
Soon  after  this,  the  warriors  that  had  murdered  the  Wal- 
lace family  passed  through  Gnadenhiitten,  and  warned 
the  inhabitants  of  the  peril  to  which  they  were  exposing 
themselves.  Carpenter,  with  noble  magnanimity,  did 
the  same,  pointing  out  its  imminency,  however  peace- 
able their  intentions.  "My  captors,"  he  added,  "will 
undoubtedly  be  pursued  and  tracked  to  this  place." 

The  converts  were  alarmed,  but  the  national  assist- 
ants allayed  their  fears.  In  conformity  with  the  sug- 
gestions of  a  council  held  at  Salem,  it  was  determined 
to  finish  the  harvest,  relying,  in  the  event  of  the  appear- 
ance of  American  militia,  on  their  innocence,  their 
friendship  for  the  States,  and  their  common  religion. 
The  seventh  of  March  was  designated  as  the  time  of 
their  departure. 

In  the  morning  of  the  sixth,  they  accordingly  re- 
sumed their  work,  laboring  hard  to  complete  it  that 
day.  The  plantations  were  alive  with  activity.  Some 
gathered  the  corn  in  heaps;  some  bagged  it;  while 
others  stored  what  could  not  be  transported  in  such 


Colonel  David 

peaceful  way  to 
md  encouraged 
>  had  been  with 
praises  of  Gen- 
Arrived  in  the 
'ns,  each  family 
zed  three  little 
ts  took  charge, 
rdered  the  Wul- 
en,  and  warned 
J  were  exposing 
guauimity,  did 
however  peace- 
le  added,  "will 
his  place." 
national  assist- 
'  with  the  sug- 
vas  determined 
t  of  the  appear- 
inocence,  their 
mmon  religion, 
as  the  time  of 

accordingly  re- 
)mplete  it  that 
ictivity.  Some 
gged  it;  while 
ported  in  such 


DAVID   ZEISDERGER. 


641 


rude  but  safe  garners  as  the  forest  afforded.  Into  the 
midst  of  this  scene  of  peaceful  industry  burst  the  pitiless 
destroyer. 

Williamson's  command  had  reached  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Gnadenhiitten  the  evening  before,  and  lay 
encamped,  all  night  long,  but  one  mile  from  the  town, 
without  being  discoyered.  And  now  preparations  began 
for  an  immediate  attack.  The  men  were  formed  into 
two  divisions,  of  which  the  one  received  orders  to  cross 
the  river  and  gain  the  fields  on  the  western  side, 
where  the  scouts  had  reported  Indians,  while  the  other 
was  to  advance  upon  the  village  itself  by  a  circuit 
through  a  wood. 

On  reaching  the  Tuscarawas,  the  first  division  found 
no  canoes;  but  what  appeared  to  be  one  was  seen 
moored  to  the  opposite  bank.  A  young  man,  named 
Sloughter,  swam  the  river  and  brought  back  not  a 
canoe,  but  a  trough  for  maple-sap,  and  large  enough  to 
accommodate  but  two  persons.  In  order  to  expedite 
their  passage,  a  number  of  the  men  stripped  off  their 
clothes,  put  them  into  this  trough,  and,  holding  fast  to 
its  sides  with  one  hand,  swam  across  with  the  other. 
Sixteen  of  them  had  passed  over  in  this  manner,  when 
Joseph  Schebosh  was  seen  coming  from  the  plantations 
in  search  of  his  horses.  One  of  the  two  scouts,  who 
had  been  thrown  forward,  immediately  tired  upon  him, 
breaking  his  arm ;  the  rest  of  the  men  ran  up,  and, 
in  spite  of  his  protestations  that  he  was  Mr.  Schebosh's 
son,  the  son  of  a  white  man,  buried  their  tomahawks 
in  his  head  and  tore  off'  his  scalp.     Fearing  that  the 


ii 


^1  I  I  i: 


M 


642 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


shot  might  have  alarmed  the  Indians,  they  pressed 
on,  without  waiting  for  the  other  part  of  the  divi- 
sion, and  reached  the  fields  where  their  victims  were 
at  work.  These  the}-  greeted,  as  previously  agreed 
upon,  with  all  the  tokens  of  amity  usual  among  the 
natives,  and  told  them  that  they  were  come  to  convey 
them  to  a  place  of  safety,  where  they  would  be  housed, 
clothed,  and  fed.  Duped  by  these  protestations,  the  con- 
verts received  the  militia  with  joy  and  escorted  them  to 
Gnadenhiitten.  There  they  found  the  second  divloion, 
which  had  meanwhile  quietly  possessed  itself  of  the 
town,  killing  but  one  Indian,  who  was  crossing  the  river 
in  a  canoe.  To  this  act  Jacob,  Schebosh's  son-in-law, 
who  stood  on  the  bank  tying  up  his  corn-sacks,  was  a 
witness.  Had  he  given  the  alarm,  the  most  of  the 
converts  might  have  been  saved.  But  he  was  so  con- 
founded by  what  he  saw,  having  taken  the  militia  to  be 
friends,  and  recognizing  among  them  some  of  his  per- 
sonal acquaintances  at  Pittsburg,  that  he  fled  to  the 
forest  and  hid  himself  amid  its  bushes.  The  entire 
command  was  hospitably  entertained  at  Gnadenhiitten, 
and  the  rest  of  the  day  passed  in  an  interchange  of  the 
most  friendly  courtesies. 

John  Martin,  a  national  assistant,  and  his  son,  return- 
ing from  a  distant  part  of  the  forest,  noticed  the  tracks 
of  shod  horses,  and  mistrustfully  crept  to  the  top  of  a 
hill,  on  the  western  bank  of  the  river,  whence  the  town 
could  be  seen.  But  when  they  beheld  their  people  asso- 
ciating on  the  most  familiar  terms  with  the  white  men 
that  filled  the  place,  their  suspicions  vanished.     Young 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


543 


'   pressed 
the   divi- 
ims  were 
y   agreed 
mons;  the 
to  convey 
e  housed, 
s,  the  con- 
id  them  to 
d  divloion, 
elf  of  the 
g  the  river 
son-in-law, 
cks,  was  a 
ost  of  the 
as  so  con- 
ilitia  to  he 
of  his  per- 
led  to  the 
The  entire 
denhiitten, 
mge  of  the 

?on,  retnrn- 
the  tracks 

le  top  of  a 
e  the  town 

leople  asso- 
white  men 

>(].     Young 


Martin  hastened  across,  while  his  father  wont  to  Salem 
to  tell  the  news.  There  the  opinion,  which  he  urged, 
that  the  Americans  were  come  to  deliver  the  Christian 
Indians  from  their  troubles,  found  general  favor,  and 
was  corroborated  by  the  belts  and  strings  of  wampum 
which  Israel  had  received,  in  his  former  capacity  of 
chief,  as  tokens  of  the  friendship  of  the  States,  and 
which  he  now  spread  before  the  gratified  eyes  of  his 
countrymen. 

Taking  with  him  Adam  and  Henry,  John  Martin 
returned  to  Gnadenhiitten,  and  informed  Colonel  Wil- 
liamson that  the  Salem  Indians,  too,  would  put  them- 
selves under  his  protection,  and  follow  him  to  the 
promised  place  of  safety.  He  was  assured  that  they 
would  be  cared  for;  and  that  a  part  of  the  command 
would,  the  next  morning,  escort  them  from  their  town, 
which  could  not  be  done  at  once,  because  the  men  were 
engaged  in  helping  their  Gnadenhutten  friends  to  col- 
lect from  the  forest  such  of  their  goods  as  had  been 
hidden  at  the  time  of  the  Wyandot  invasion.  Overjoyed 
to  hear  all  this,  John  Martin,  in  the  simplicity  of  his 
heart,  made  the  colonel  his  confidant  with  regard  to  an- 
other project.  Some  of  tho  converts,  he  said,  deemed 
it  best  to  establish  a  branch  Mission  in  the  place  of 
refuge  to  which  they  were  going;  they  would  send  to 
Bethlehem  for  new  teachers,  and  have  churches  and 
schools  of  their  own,  while  their  brethren  on  the  San- 
dusky would  continue  to  enjoy  the  ministrations  of 
their  old  teachers.  What  did  their  friends  think  of 
this  plan  ?     Williamson   approved  of  it,  and   all   his 


544 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


men,   to  whom   it  was    mentioned,   said    it  was  well 
thought  of,  and  praised  the  Indians  for  their  piety. 

Amid  such  converse  night  came  on.  Murderers  and 
victims  lay  down  to  sleep  like  brothers,  in  the  same 
town  and  the  same  houses,  the  one  dreaming  of  scalps, 
the  others  of  new  and  happy  homes.  Never  were  In- 
dians more  guileless ;  never  was  the  most  marked  trait 
in  their  character  more  completely  wiped  out.  Chris- 
tians had  faith  in  Christians.  Though  of  difterent 
races,  they  worshiped  one  God  and  adored  one  Saviour. 
Early  in  the  morning  of  the  seventh,  a  division,  with 
Adam  and  Henry  as  guides,  set  out  for  Salem,  and 
found  the  Indians  not  only  ready  to  accompany  them, 
but  prepared  to  yield  to  all  their  demands.  They  sur- 
rendered their  arms — "for  safe-keeping,"  said  the  mi- 
litia— without  a  shadow  of  doubt.  They  acquiesced  in 
the  firing  of  their  town  —  "to  prevent  warriors  from 
harboring  there" — and  pleasantly  remarked  that  their 
American  friends  would  soon  build  them  another. 
They  put  themselves  wholly  into  the  power  of  their 
escort,  and  did  not  entertain  the  remotest  idea  of 
treachery.  Indeed,  even  from  a  spiritual  point  of  view, 
it  was  for  them  a  day  of  joy.  They  had  opportunities  to 
glorify  their  God.  The  white  men  seemed  deeply  inter- 
ested in  religion,  asked  many  questions  with  regard  to 
it,  and  listened  to  what  they  told  them  of  their  personal 
experiences  with  the  profoundest  attention.  Samuel 
fMoore,  who  was  a  Jersey  Indian,  Christian,  a  national 
^assistant,  and  Tobias,  an  aged  servant  of  the  Lord — who 
jail  spoke  English  fluently — proclaimed  the  unsearchable 


,--;■ 


/ 


\ 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


>45 


t  was  well 
piety. 

rderers  and 
1  the  8ame 
g  of  scalps, 
er  were  In- 
iiarked  trait 
3ut.     Cbris- 
of  different 
ne  Saviour, 
ivision,  with 
Salem,  and 
Qpany  them, 
.     They  sur- 
aaid  the  mi- 
cquiesced  in 
arriors  from 
d  that  their 
im    another, 
tver  of  their 
est   idea   of 
oint  of  view, 
)ortunities  to 
deeply  inter- 
th  regard  to 
heir  personal 
on.     Samuel 
n,  a  national 
e  Lord — who 
unsearchable 


riches  of  Christ,  with  the  eloquence  of  faith.     "  Truly j'^ 
you    are    good    Christians !"     exclaimed    the    militia./ 
Meanwhile  the   Indian   boys  sported  with   some  half-''^ 
grown   lads  of  the   command,  taught  them   to   make 
bows  and  arrows,  and  frolicked  gleefully  through  the 
forests. 

On  the  bank  opposite  Gnadenhiitten  the  eyes  of  the 
deluded  converts  were  suddenly  opened.  Coming  upon 
a  pool  of  fresh  blood  and  a  bloody  canoe,  they  stopped 
in  mute  surprise;  but  in  that  momoht  the  militia  seized 
them,  bound  their  hands  behind  their  backs,  and  hur- 
ried them  across  the  river,  where  ^'hey  found  the  rest  of 
the  Indians  also  prisoners,  confined  in  two  houses,  and 
closely  guarded. 

The  militia  now  tried  to  criminate  them,  bringing 
forward  the  following  accusations:  First,  that  they  were 
warriors  and  had  taken  part  in  the  war  against  the 
Americans ;  second,  that  the}'  had  harbored  and  fed,  in 
their  towns,  British  Indians  on  the  march  to  the  American 
frontiers ;  third,  that  their  horses  must  have  been  stolen 
from  the  Americans,  inasmuch  as  they  were  branded 
with  letters  like  the  horses  of  the  frontier  settlers,  a 
thing  unknown  among  the  natives;  fourth,  that  those 
articles  of  clothing  and  children's  caps,  those  tea-kettles 
and  household  equipments,  those  saws,  axes,  and  chisels, 
and  ail  those  many  other  implements  found  among 
white  people  only,  of  which  both  Gnadenhiitten  and 
Salem  were  full,  constituted  a  positive  proof  that  they 
had  helped  to  plunder  farms  and  attack  settlements. 

35 


i{  m\ 


I  i 


s|.i>S-;', 


546 


LIFE  A. WD   TIMES  OF 


The  prisoners  dearly  rebutted  every  one  of  those 
charges.  They  appealed  to  their  fri(  ndahip  for  the 
white  people — of  which  the  militia  could  not  be  igno- 
rant, since  '1  the  West  knew  of  it — and  to  the  eflbrts 
which  they  had,  for  years,  successfully  made  to  keep  the 
Delawari-s  neutral,  as  evidence  that,  since  tlieir  conver- 
sion, they  had  never  gone  to  war.  They  explained 
the  necessity  which  compelled  them  t(<  ctitertain  British 
Indians  passing  through  their  towns,  but  showed  that 
they  had,  at  the  same  time,  persuaded  many  a  war-party 
to  turn  back ;  and,  further,  that  when  Colonel  Broadliead 
had  come  into  their  country,  on  his  expedition  against 
Goschachgiink,  they  had  furnished  his  army,  too,  with 
provisions.  They  reminded  them,  that  Gnadenhiitteu 
and  Salem  were  towns  belonging  to  civilized  natives,  to 
Christian  Indians,  to  Indiana  who  hiid  been  tiuight  to 
dress  like  the  whites,  to  work  their  horses  like  the 
whites,  and  to  use  the  same  household  utensils, 
mechanical  tools,  and  agricultural  implements. 

But  this  vindication  did  not  satisfy  the  militia,  be- 
cause they  were  predetermined  not  to  be  satisfied.'    A 


1  On  thoir  return  to  the  settlements,  the  militia  assorted  that  they  had 
1  found  among  the  clothes  of  the  converts  the  blood-stained  garments  of 
Mrs.  "Wallace,  whose  own  husband  recognized  them,  and  that  this  was 
an  unanswerable  proof  that  these   Indians   had  been   engaged  in  tho 
atrocious  murder  of  his  family.     But  i  his  was,  by  no  means,  a  valid 
evidence  of  their  guilt,  even  granting  that  sucii  garments  were  dis- 
covered, a  thing  which,  as  it  rests  solely  upon  thi.'  authority  of  tho  uuir- 
derors   themselves,  is,  to  say  the  least,  open   to   serious  doubt.     It   i3 
'  known  that  the  warriors  who  murdered  tho  Wallace  family  put  up  their 
plunder  at  public  a\iction,  a  mode  of  disposing  of  spoils   not  unusual 
f,  among  the  natives.     This  sale  took  place  one  mile  from  Gnadcnhiittcn. 


\i  I 


// 

/),4r//>   ZEISBERQER. 


547 


connci]  of  war  was  called  to  deou^o  upon  ibeir  fate. 
The  oflBc'crs,  unwilling  to  assume  the  responsibility, 
agreed  to  submit  the  question  to  the  men,  Thoy  were 
accordingly  drawn  up  in  a  line,  Colonel  "Williamson 
stcp})in,tij  forward  and  saying:  "Shall  the  Moravian 
Indians  be  taken  prisoners  to  Pittsburg,  or  put  to' 
death?  All  those  in  favor  of  sparing  their  lives,  ad-' 
vance  one  step  and  form  a  second  rank  I"  On  this 
but  sixteen  men — another  report  says  eighteen — stepped 
out  of  the  line,  leaving  an  overwhelming  majority  for 
the  sentence  of  death. 

The  mode  of  execution  created  not  u  little  debate.  ' 
At  last  it  lay  between  two  proposals:  one  was  to  set  , 
fire  to  the  houses  in  which  the  captives  were  kept  and 
burn  them  alive ;  the  other,  and  this  prevailed,  to  toma- ) 
hawk  and  scalp  them,  so  that  there  might  be  trophies  of 
the  campaign. 

Although  startled  when  informed  of  the  fate  which 
awaited  them,  the   Indians   soon    recovered   their  self-  / 
possession.     Solemnly  protesting  their  innocence,  they  \ 
nevertheless    declared    themselves  willing   to    die,  and 
asked  no  favor  other  than  time  to  prepare  for   death,, 


Nuw,  although  it  was  a  hiw  among  the  Christian  Indians  never  to  buy 
booty  thus  offered  for  sale,  and  although  the  national  assistants  had,  • 
on  this  very  occasion,  prohibited  their  companions  from  doing  so,  it  is 
possible  that  some  of  the  young  peojile  secretly  attended  the  sale  and 
purchased  that  dress.  It  is  just  as  po-^sible,  however,  and  not  at  all  in 
conflict  with  the  warnings  which  they  gave  the  converts,  that  it  was 
intentionally  left  by  the  warrior-  in  one  of  the  houses  of  Gnadcnhiitti'n, 
without  the  knowledge  of  the  inmates,  in  order  to  fasten  suspicion  i 
upon  the  Christian  Indians. 


ll 


548  .  LlFiil  A'S'D   TIMES  OF 


^-^ 


7« 


This  was  granted  them,  and  the  following  morniug 
fixed  lor  the  execution. 

There  now  ensued  a  scene  that  deserves  to  tind  a 
place  in  the  history  of  the  primitive  martyrs.  Shut 
up  in  their  two  prisons,  the  converts  began  to  sing 
and  pray,  to  exhort  and  comfort  one  another,  to  mu- 
tually unburden  their  consciences  and  acknowledge 
their  sins.  Abraham,  surnamed  the  Mohican,  took  the 
lead  in  humbling  himself  under  the  mighty  hand  of 
God.  "Dear  brethren,"  said  he,  "we  are  soon  all  to 
go  to  the  Saviour.  You  well  know  that  I  am  a  bad 
man ;  that  I  have  grieved  my  Lord ;  that  I  have  caused 
our  teachers  much  sorrow ;  and  have  not  done  the 
things  that  I  ought  to  have  done.  But  now  I  give 
myself  anew  to  Jesus.  I  will  hold  fast  to  Ilim  until 
I  die.  I  believe  that  He  will  not  cast  me  off,  but 
pardon  all  my  sins."  As  the  hours  wore  away,  aud 
the  night  deepened,  and  the  end  drew  near,  triumph- 
ant anticipations  of  heaven  mingled  with  their  hymns 
and  prayers.  Converted  heathens  taught  their  Chris- 
tian slayers  what  it  means  to  die  "  as  more  than  con- 
querors." 

At  last  the  morning  broke.  It  was  the  eighth  of 
March.  Impatient  to  begin  their  work  of  blood,  the 
militia  selected  two  buildings,  which  they  wantonly  de- 
nominated "  slaughter-houses,"  the  one  for  the  killing 
of  the  men,  the  other  for  the  massacre  of  the  women; 
and  brutally  called  to  their  captives,  who  continued  to 
sing  and  pray  in  exultant  tones,  whether  they  would 
not   soon   be    ready.     "  AVe  are   ready  now,"  was  the 


g  morniug 


._^  I—    II  4.~..^    _ .__ —  >  I  -  - 


DAVID  ZEISDEROER. 


540 


reply;  "wc  have  committed  our  souls  to  God,  who  has 
given  us  the  assurance  that  He  will  receive  them." 

Several    of  the    men    immediately  seized   Ahraham, 
whose  long,  flowing  hair  had  attracted  their  notice  tho\ 
day  hetbre  as  fit  for  making  "a  fine  scalp,"  tied  him  and! 
another  convert  with  a  ro[)e,  and  dragged  them  to  th(^ 
appointed   house.     There  they  were   deliherately  slain, 
and  afterward  scalped.     The  rest  suffered  in  tlie  same 
way,  two  by  two.     When  all  the  men  and^boys  were 
dead,  the  women  and  small  children  were  brought  j)utj 
two  by  two  as  before,  taken   to  the  other  house,  ajid 
dispatched  with  the  same  systematic  barbarity.     Judith,] 
a  venerable  widow,  was  the  first  among  these  victims. 
Christiana,  another  widow,  who  had  been  an  inmate  of  | 
the  Bethlehem  "Sisters'   House"  in    her  youth,  spoke i 
English   and   Gorman   fluently,  and  was   a  woman   of  I 
education    and    refinement,  fell   on   her   knees   before  ( 
Colonel  Williamson,  as   she  was  being  led  away,  and,  ( 
addressing  him  in  English,  besought  him  to  spare  her' 
life.     "I  cannot  help  you!"  was  his  cold  reply.     She 
rose  and  submitted  to  her  fate,  patiently  like  the  others.  | 
Tomahawks,  mallets,  war-clubs,  spears,  and   scalping-  I 
knives  were  used  to  efiect  the  slaughter,  in  which,  how-/* 
ever,  only  some  of  the  militia  appear  to  have  taken  an) 
active  part.* 

'  There  are  various  discrepancies  in  the  accounts  of  the  massacre  that 
have  come  down  to  us.  Heckewelder,  in  his  English  MS,  and  also  in  his*  i 
printed  history,  says  that  the  militia  entered  the  two  houses  in  which  ( 
the  Indians  wore  confined,  and  murdered  them  with  a  wooden  mallet,! 
taking  turns  in  the  slaughter.  Zeisberger,  in  his  Journal,  says  thcy| 
were  led  out  singly  to  the  "slaughter-houses,"  and  implies  that  there  i 


:  :''3|. 


:  *.  I'i' 


mu '  HI 


550 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


r 

: 


It  was  uot  a  carnage  perpetrated  in  the  flush,  of 
victory,  ere  the  heat  and  passions  of  battle  have  passed 
away.  It  was  not  as  when  a  long-beleaguered  city  is 
taken,  and  half-intoxicated  horsemen  dash  through  the 
streets,  hewing   right   and   left  with   their  sabers,  and 

^sparing  neither  age  nor  sex.  It  was  a  butchery  in  cold 
blood,  without  the  least  excitation  of  feeling,  as  leisurely 
and  dispassionately  done  as  when  animals  are  slaughtered 

I  for  the  shambles. 

Two  lads,  Thomas__amd^.Jacob,  escaped  the  commou 
fate.  The  former  received  a  blow  that  merely  stunned 
him,  and  revived  toward  nightfall.  Hearing  footsteps 
approachi-ig,  he  gave  no  signs  of  life.  A  militia- 
man entered  the  house  to  view  the  bodies,  and  dis- 
)atchcd  Abel,  who  had  likewise  been  but  stunned  and 


were  two  nmssacTesi,  tliut  of  the  GniKlenhiitten  IndiuD.s  on  the  seventh 
of  ISIarch,  and  that  of  the  Sulcm  Indians  on  the  eighth,  the  latter  being 
brought  to  Gnadenhiitton  after  its  inliubitants  had  been  put  to  death. 
Loskiel  agrees  with   tho  representation  wliich   I  have  given.     Its  cor- 
rectness is  proved  by  a  careful  examination  of  all  the  sources  extiint, 
,:  including   those   not  of  Moravian  origin.     Zeisbergor's  Journal  was 
i  written  soon  after  the  occurrence,  when  the  dill'erent  reports  brought  in 
Ihad  not  yet  been  sifted.     It  is,  moreover,  impossible,  as  his  Journr.l 
seems  to  indicate,  that  John  Martin  and  tho  two  Salem  Indians  should 
have  come  to  Gnadenhiitten,  on  the  seventh  of  March,  after  all  its  In- 
idians  had  been  murdered,  should  have  treated  with  tho  militia,  and  then 
.led  a  part  of  them  to  Salem,  without  discovering  what  had  taken  place. 
]There  exist  two  lists  of  tiio  victims,  both  of  which,  it  is  true,  say  that 
(they  were  killed  on  the  sevoiith  and  eighth  of  March  ;  but  this,  no  doubt, 
jrefers  to  the  fact  that  four  of  them  were  shot  the  day  before  tho  massacre, 
itwo  while  ttttemj)ting  to  escape.     Its  wliole  history  rests  upon  the  testi- 
mony of  Samuel  Nanlieoke,  a  national  assistant  of  New  Schonbrunn  ; 
of  two  l/ids  who  fled   from  the  very  midst  of  the  slaughter ;  and  of  tho 
militia  themst^lves,  who  boastfully  detailed,  on  their  return  home,  all 
^the  incidents  of  the  campaign. 


c 


e  fludh»  of 
[lave  passed 
ered  city  is 
:h rough  tlie 
sabers,  aud 
liery  in  cold 
as  leisurely 
slaughtered 

;he  commou 
rely  stuuued 
ug  footsteps 
A  niilitia- 
es,  and  dis- 
stuuned  aud 


OH  tho  seventh 

the  latter  being 

en  put  to  death. 

given.     Its  eor- 

souree.s  extiint, 
i-'.s  Journal   was 
ports  brought  in 
,  as  his   Journr.l 
n  Indians  should 
,  after  all  its  In- 
niilitia,  and  then 
had  taken  place. 
;  is  true,  say  that 
)Ut  this,  no  doubt, 
"ore  the  massacre, 
ts  upon  the  testi- 
cw  Sehonbrunn ; 
;hter  ;  and  of  the 

return  home,  all 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


551 


was  in   the  act  of   rising.     Thomas  kept  close  amidol  ^ 
the  ghastly  corpses  until  it  was  dark,  and  then  made  - 
his  way  to  the  forest,  although   suffering   excruciating 
pain  from  the  loss  of  his  scalp.'     Jacob  succeeded  in 
slipping,    unobserved,    from    the    house    in   which    the 
women  suffered,  into  the  cellar  by  means  of  a  trap-door,  ) 
and  when  their  blood  began  to  stream  uj)on  him  HiroughS 
the  floor,  forced  an  exit  out  of  a  narrow  window,  con- ( 
cealed  himself  iu  some  hazel-bushes,  and  at  night  also 
gained    the    forest.      The    day   before    the    massacre, 
Anthony  and  Paul,  John  Martin's  sous,  had  not  been  so 
fortunate.     They  got  out  of  their  prifon  and  fled,  but 
were  shot  down  by  the  sentinels. 

According  to  a  careful  computation  made  by  the  mis- ■^ 
sionaricf.,  with  the  aid  of  the  national  assistants,  the  / 
whole  number  of  victims  was  ninety.  The  militia* 
brought  back  ninety-six  scalps ;  hence  six  of  the  mur-  \ 
dered  ones  must  have  been  heathen  Indians,  probably  J 
visitors  at  Gnadenhiitten. 

It  is  proper  that  their  names  should  be  enshrined  in 
history.     Here  follows  the  roll: 


t. 


National  Assistants. 

Isaac  Glikkikan. 
Jonah. 
Christian. 
John  Martin. 
Samuel  Mooro. 
Tobias. 


Thei7-  Wives. 

Anna  Benigna,  Glikkikan's  wife. 
Amelia,  Jonah's  wife. 
Augustina,  Christian's  wife. 


*  Thomas  lived  four  years  longer,  and  was  commonly  known  as  the 
"scalped  boy."    On  the  thirtieth  of  June,  1786,  when  the  Mission  was 
located  on  tho  Cuyahoga,  he  was  found  drowned  in  a  creek,  where  ho  / 
had  been  'Ishing,  and  into  which  ho  had  fallen  in  a  fit,  having  been  sub- 
ject to  8uch  attacks  ever  since  the  loss  of  his  scalp. 


\ 


!  n 


<P_ 


■^.. 


\. 


Ml 


1:1 

i*  ■ 


552 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


Other  Men. 
Adam. 
Henry. 
Luke. 
Philip. 
Lewis. 
Nicholas. 

Israel  (Captain  Johnny). 
Abraham,  the  Mohican. 
Joseph  Schebosh. 
Mark. 
John. 
Abel. 

Paul,  of  Salem. 
Henry. 
John. 
Michael. 
Peter. 
Gottlob. 
David. 


Oiher  Wvmen. 
Cornelia,  Adam's  wife. 
Joanna  Salome,  Henry's  wife. 
Lucia,  Luke's  wife. 
Lorcl,  Philip's  wife. 
Ruth,  Lewis's  wife. 
Joanna  Sabina,  Nicholas's  wife 
Hannah,  Joseph  Pcepi's  wife. 
Catharine. 
Judith. 
Christiana. 
Mary. 
Eebecca. 
Kacbel. 

Maria  Susanna. 
Anna,  a  daughter  of  the  assistant 

Joshua. 
Bathseba,  the  same. 
Julianna. 
Elizabeth. 
Martha. 
Anna  Bosina. 
Salome. 


All  of  these  were  baptize^,  adults 


Boys. 
Christian. 
Joseph. 
Mark. 
Jonathan. 
Christian  Gottlieb. 
Timothy. 
Anthony. 
Jonah. 

Gottlieb,  a  son  of  Joanna. 
Benjamin,  the  same. 
John  Thomas. 


Oirls. 
Christiana. 
Leah. 
Benigna. 
Christina. 
Gertrude. 
Anna  Christina. 
Anna  Salome. 
Maria    Elizabeth,    a    daughter   of 

Mark. 
Sarah,  a  daughter  of  Philip. 
Hannah,  a  daughter  of  Mary. 
Anna  Elizabeth. 


All  of  these  were  baptized  children. 
There  were,  besides,  twelve  babes  aud  five  adults  not 
bajjtiz,ed.     Of  the  latter  but  one  name  has  been 


DAVID   ZEISDEROER. 


553 


the  assistant 


preserved,  uamelj,  Scappiliillen,  the  husband  of  IlelenJ 
Thus  it  appears  that  of  the  victims  tweutj-nine  \\xrje  ' 
men,  twenty-seven  women,  and  thirty-four  children.        "' 

Their^death  was  the  beginning  of  the  decline  of  the 
Mission;  but  it  was  also  the  most  illustrious  exemplifi-' 
cation  of  what  the  Church  and  Zeisberger,  her  apostle,  f 
had   accomplished  among  the  aborigines.      Ne^gr  di(ji.-* 
Christian    Indians   leave  a  brighter  testimony.     Their 
very  murderers  confessed  that,  by  their  faith  and  pa- 
tience, by  their  fearlessness  and  resignation,  they  had 
glorified  God.     Successive  generations  have  brought  a 
tribute  to  their  memory.     There  is  not  a  writer  of  thei, 
history  of  our  country  who  does  not  mourn  over  their/ 
fate.     Even  at  this  late  day  the  traveler,  as  he  passes) 
through  the  blooming  valley  of  the  Tuscarawas,  stops/ 
to   see   the  spot  where   they  sufl'ered.      The   heathens' 
themselves,  while  vowing  vengeance  on   their  slayers,! 
acknowledged  the  piety  of  the  dead.     "  We  sought,") 
they   said,  "  to   compel   our   Christian   countrymen   to^ 
return  to  the  wild  sins  in  which  we  live;  but  the  great 
Manitou  loved  them   too  well;    he  saw  our  schemes;,; 
he  saw  their  pious  lives  ;  ho  took  them." 

After  the  massacre  had  been  consummated,  the  ml 
litia  spent  the  day  in  securing  their  plunder;  then,  set-  ( 
ting  fire  to  the  "  slaughter-houses,"  with  their  mangled 
corpses,  and  to  the  whole  village,  marched  off  to  New  1 
Schonbrunn  to  kill  its  Indians. 

In  the  execution  of  this  new  atrocity,  they  were,  how- 
ever, happily  disappointed.  The  messenger  whom  Zeis- 
berger  had  commissioned  to  summon  the  converts  to 


i 


654 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


I*  -i  ■■»•- 


Sandusky,  reached  Xew  Schoiibrunn  on  the  sauie  day 
on  which  the  command  came  to  Gnadenhiitten.  Too 
much  fatigued  to  continue  his  journey,  ho  sent  two  of 
the  Schijnbrunn  Indians  to  the  other  stations.  These 
found  the  body  of  Josepli  Schebosh,  saw  at  a  gUuice 
that  he  had  been  murdered,  and  discovered  the  trucks 
of  Williamson's  horses.  Allowing  themselves  barely 
time  to  bury  their  comrade,  they  sped  back  to  the  town 
and  gave  the  alarm.  The  Indians  immediately' fled,  and 
the  militia  had  to  content  their  bloodthirstiness  with 
plundering  and  burning  its  houses.  Some  of  the  con- 
verts watciied  them  from  their  hiding-places. 

The   expedition    against    the    Christian   Indians  was 
wholly  unnecessary,  and  the  massacre  at  Gnadenhiitten 
an  act  of  inhuman  barbarity.     Williamson's  men  anti- 
cipated a  safe  campaign,  relied  upon  the  pacific  prin- 
ciples  of   the    converts,    and    expected    no   resistance, 
thus   tacitly  giving   the   lie   to    their   own    accusations 
■  against  them.     They  went  out,  at  least  the  major  part 
of  them,  with  the  intention  of  murdering  and  not  of 
1  fighting.      All   tliis   is   evident  from   the    unjustifiable 
I  looseness,  in  a  military  point  of  view,  with  which  the 
I  attack    upon    Gnadenhiitten  was    conducted.      At  the 
same   time,  it  is   but  right  to   adduce   what  may  be 
said  in  extenuation  of  their-  ciime.     Tit  '!:^e  we  uppend 
/the  following  extract  from  Dotidvidgc,  wii'  writes  with 
commendable   fairnet^,   and,   hanng    spen'    his   youth 
among  the  men  who  engaged  in  t)  c  campaign,  must 
be  a  well-informed  witness : 

'The  longer  the  war  continued,  the  more  our  peor'~ 


i 


! 


DAVID   ZKISDERGER. 


655 


complained  of  the  situation  of  the  Moravian  villages. 
It  was  paid  that  it  waa  owing  to  their  l)oing  so  near  U3 
that  the  warriors  commenced  their  depredations  so  early 
in  the  spring,  and  continued  them  until  so  late  in  the  fall. 

"In  the  latter  end  of  the  year  1781,  the  militia  of  the 
frontier  came  to  a  determination  to  break  up  the  Mora- 
vian villages  on  the  Muskingum.  For  this  purpose  a 
detachment  of  our  men  went  out  under  the  command 
of  Colonel  David  Williamson,  for  the  purpose  of  in- 
ducing the  Indians  with  their  teachers  to  move  farther 
off,  or  bring  them  prisoners  to  Fort  Pitt.  When  they 
arrived  at  the  villages,  they  found  but  few  Indians,  the 
greater  number  of  them  having  removed  to  Sandusky. 
These  few  were  well  treated,  taken  tc  F'ort  Pitt,  and 
delivered  to  the  commandant  of  that  station,  who,  after 
a  short  detention,  sent  them  home  again. 

"  This  procedure  gave  great  oft'ense  to  the  people  of 
the  country,  who  thought  that  the  Indians  ought  to  have 
been  killed.  Colonel  Williamson,  who,  before  this  little 
campaign,  had  been  a  very  popular  man^  on  account  of 
his  activity  and  bravery  in  war,  now  became  the  subject 
of  severe  animadversions  on  account  of  his  lenity  to  the 
Moravian  Indians. 

"In  justice  to  the  memory  of  Colonel  Williamson,  I 
have  to  say  that,  although  at  that  time  very  young,  I 
was  personally  acquaiiited  with  him,  and  from  my  recol- 
lection of  his  conversation,  I  say  with  confidence  that  lie 
was  a  brave  man,  but  not  cruel.  lie  woulu  meet  an 
enemy  in  battle  and  tight  like  a  soldier,  but  not  murder 
a  prisoner.     Had  be  possessed  the  authority  of  a  supe- 


I 

i! 


C^  1- 

556 

L/F^  J.Vi)    TIMES  OF 

rior  officer  in  a  regular  army,  I  do  not  believe  that  a 
single  Moravian  Indian  would  have  lost  his  life  ;  but  he 
possessed  no  such  authority.  He  v^'as  only  a  militia 
officer,  who  could  advise,  but  not  command.  His  only 
fault  was  thr.i;  of  too  easy  a  compliance  with  popular 
opinion  and  popular  prejudice.  On  this  account  his 
memory  has  been  loaded  with  unmerited  repi'oach. 

"  Several  reports  unfavorable  to  the  ^loravians  had 
been  in  circulation  for  some  time  before  the  campaign 
against  them.  One  was,  that  the  night  after  they  were 
liberated  at  Fort  Pitt,  they  crossed  the  river  laid  killed, 
or  made  prisoners  of  a  family  of  the  name  Oi'  Monteur. 
A  family  on  Buffalo  Creek  had  been  mostly  killed  in 
the  summer  or  fall  of  1781,  and  it  was  said  by  one 
of  them  who,  after  being  taken  a  prisoner,  made  his 
escape,  that  the  leader  of  the  party  who  did  the  mis- 
chief was  a  Moravian.  These,  with  other  reports  of  a 
similar  import,  served  as  a  pretext  for  their  destruction, 
although,  no  doubt,  they  were  utterly  false. 

"  Should  it  be  asked  what  sort  of  people  composed 
the  band  of  murderers  of  these  unfortunate  people,  I 
answer,  they  were  not  miscreants  or  vagabonds ;  many 
of  them  were  men  of  the  first  standing  in  the  coun- 
try; many  of  them  were  men  who  had  recsntly  lost  rela- 
tions by  the  hand  of  the  savages.  Several  of  the  latter 
class  found  articles  which  had  been  plundered  from 
their  own  houses,  or  those  of  the  relations,  in  the  houses 
of  the  Moravians.  One  man,  it  is  said,  found  the 
clothes  of  his  wife  and  children,  who  had  been  mur- 
dered by  the  Indians  but  a  few  days  before.     They  were 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


657 


still  bloody;  yet  there  was  no  unequivocal  evidence  that 
these  people  had  any  direct  agency  in  the  war.     "What- 
ever of  our  property  was  found  with  them  had  been  loft 
by  the  warriors  in  exchange  for  the  provisions  which 
they  took  from  them.     When  attacked  by  our  people, 
although   they  might  have  defended   themselves,  they 
did  not.     They  never  fired  a  single  shot.     They  Avere 
prisoners,  and  had  been  promised  protection.      Every 
dictate  of  justice  and  humanity  required  that  their  lives 
should  be  spared.    The  complaint  of  their  villages  being 
'half-way  liouses   for  the  warriors'  was  at   an  end,  as 
they  had  been  removed  to  Sandusky  the  fall  before.     It 
was,   therefore,  an  atrocious   and   unqualified   nmrder. 
But  by  whom  committed?     By  a  majority  of  the  cam- 
paign?     For  the  honor  of  my  country,  I  hope  I  may 
safely  answer  this  question  in  the  negative.     It  was  one 
of  those  c/^ttvulsioDH  of  the  moral  state  of  society  iu 
wliieh  the  voice  of  the  ju.-^tice  unv  .iumanity  of  a  ma- 
jority is  silenced  by  the  clamor  and  violence  of  a  lawless 
minority.     Very  f-ew  of  our  m«<fi  imbrutd  their  hands 
in  the  blood  of  the  Moravians      Even  th<r^  who  had 
not  voted  for  saving  their  lives  retired  from  the  »c4!.'ue 
of  slaughter  with  horror  and  disgui*t.     Why,  then,  did 
they  not  give  their  votes  in  their  favor?     The  fear  of 
public  indignation  restrained  them  from  doing  so.    Thjy 
thought  well,  but  had  not  heroism  enough  to  express 
their  opinion.     Those  who   did  so,  deserve   honorable 
mention  for  their  intrepidity.     So  far  as  it  may  here- 
after bo  in  my  power,  this  honor  shall  be  done  them; 
wliile  tlio  names  of  tlie  murderers  shall  not  stain  the 
pages  of  history,  from  my  pen  at  least." 


;l 


558 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER    XXXVI. 


ZEISBERGEU  AT    LOWER  SANDUSKY   AND   PnTRniT.     I7S3. 

Funprai  siTvire  in  memory  of  the  (load. — Tlu>  convert?  nt  Cnptivos' 
Town  iifter  the  massacre. — Conversation  with  Samuel  Nanticulto. 
Massacre  at  Pittsburg,  and  dispersion  of  the  Christian  Inillaiis. — Z'  in- 
berger's  wail  of  anguish  — Tlie  missionaries  leave  Lower  Sundufky  tind 
reach  Detroit. — Majorde  Peyster's reasons  for  removing  thc'm. — They 
determine  to  renew  the  Mission  in  the  Chippewa  coimtry.  —  Ue  Pey- 
ster'.s  message  to  the  Christian  Indians. — Thereligi(>us^tnte()f  Detroit. 
— Zeisberger  and  a  few  converts  embark  in  order  to  begin  a  settlement 
on  the  Huron  Kiver. 


1.  r 


14 


i|:r.J   '3 


;!l 


y 

/ 

/ 


^.: 


Havinq  listened,  with  bursting  lieart,  to  all  the 
details  of  the  massacre  which  Jo.shua  and  Jacob  could 
give  him,  Zeisberger  called  together  his  fellow-ndssloii- 
aries  in  Ariindle's  house,  and  read  the  burial-service 
of  the  Church  in  memory  of  the  dead.  From  the 
orphaned  flock  at  Captives'  Town  he  often  heard. 
Among  others,  Robins  visited  there,  and  reported  that 
the  converts  sang  and-  praj-ed  together  in  the  most 
touching  manner,  exhorted  one  another  to  stand  fast  in 
the  faith,  but  often,  in  the  midst  of  their  assemblies,  fell 
to  sobbing  like  children.  Deprived  of  their  teachers, 
overwhelmed  by  the  massacre  in  which  the  most  of  them 
had  lost  a  kinsman,  as  in  Rama  of  old,  so  in  Captives' 
Town  now,  there  was  a  voice  heard,  lamentation,  and 
weeping,  and  great  mourning. 

With  Samuel  !J,'antieoke,  who  came  to  see  him,  Zeis- 


DAVID  ZEISBEROEE. 


)59 


I7«8. 
iinljciiko. 

lll-i. — Kria- 

iilu^kviinil 
■III. — They 
.  — Ue  l\.y- 

i>t"  Uctroit. 
settlement 


illl  the 
ob  could 
-mission- 
al-aervice 
'roin  tlio 
n  heard, 
rtod  that 
:he  most 
id  fast  in 
blies,  f't'll 
teachers, 
t  of  them 
Captives' 
tioii,  and 

im,  Zois- 


bcrger  had  a  conversation  upon  the  state  of  the  Mission  \ 
and  the  sufferings  of  the  Christian  Indians.  Zeisbcrger/ 
pointed  out  to  him  the  chastising  liand  of  God.  The 
iiery  trial  through  which  the  converts  were  passing  had 
not  occurred  by  chance;  their  own  disobedience  had 
helped  to  produce  it.  "AVe  well  know,"  he  added, 
"  that  the  most  of  you  have  been  true  to  your  piv>fcs- 
sion  in  spite  of  all  your  afflictions,  but  wo  also  know 
that  i*ome  of  you  are  recreant.  I  rotor  to  thv^so  who 
ndv  i^cd  the  AVynndots,  uf  the  \\\\]Ci  of  t|)i3  invasion,  to 
carry  us  ofl"  from  the  Afuskiiignni !  n|if1  who  now,  in- 
stead of  acknowledging  what  we  are  enduring  ibc  ^n\\\' 
Bakes,  and  what  we  have  borne  in  Ijio  iiiany  ypflfs  of 
our  missionary  service,  iiru  baao  oiioiigli  (o  ImfilJ^e  the 
blame  of  your  present  trials  to  us,  and  even  to  assert 
that  we  were  aware  of  the  projected  nuissacro.  Wo 
liope  that  sui'ii  deluded  souls  will  seek  forgiveness  of 
the  Lord.  "With  tlie  rest  of  you  we  deeply  eympatliize.' 
This  conversation  affords  an  interesting  glimpse  of 
the  stale  of  feeling  both  among  the  converts  and  in  the 
heart  of  their  leader.  Many  of  the  former  recognized 
the  judgments  of  God  as  well  deserved.  "We  have 
drawn  all  this  misery  upon  ourselves,"  said  Abraham,  a 
national  assistant,  in  o,  e  of  their  meetings;  "we  have 
sinned  against  the  Saviour;  every  one  of  us  is  guilty; 
I,  too,  am  guilty.  Let  us  return  again  to  the  Lord  our 
God  an  1  pray  for  mercy."  But  others,  staggered  by 
their  misfortunes,  without  a  teacher's  hand  to  guide 
them,  lost  their  faith,  lot  tlieir  love  grow  cold,  and  like 
the  Israelites  of  old,  murmured  against  their  Moses  and 


IB 


% 


I  X! 


!l 


y 


'^■^.'. 


660 


•f--       -H:'k 


.■>■  :k. 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


against  God.  Zuiaborger,  on  the  other  hand,  while  ho 
felt  for  them  and  confessed  that  theirs  was  no  ordinary 
sorrow,  was  deeply  wounded  that  among  his  own  sjii  ritual 
children  there  si  uld  be  those  who  requited  his  long- 
tried  devotion  ,  ith  such  low  su8j)icion8  and  unmanly 
ingratitude. 

His  cup  of  woe  was  filled  to  the  brim  by  the  intelli- 
gence   that   Colonel  Williamson's    command,  on   their 
ireturn   to   Pittsburg,  had    massacred    the    majority  of 
/friendly  Delawares  encamped  near  that  post,  under  the 
protection  of  the  American  flag;  and  that  the  converts 
,at  Captives'  Town  had  been  forced  by  tlie  Half  King  to 
;  disperse.     Mark,  at  the  head  of  one  body,  had  gone  to 
the  Shawanese  of  the  Scioto ;  Abraham,  "William,  Cor- 
nelius, and  Samuel  Nanticoke  had  led  the  rest  to  the 
vicinity  of  Pipe's  Town,  whence  they  thought  of  pro- 
ceeding to   the    Maumee.     '*  Where    shall  we   find   a 
retreat,"  he  writes  in  his  Journal,  "nay,  but  a  little  spot 
lof  earth  whither  we  may  flee  with  our  Indians?     The 
iworld  is  not  wide  enough.     From  the  whites,  who  call 
jthemselves  Christians,  we  can  hope  for  no  protection ; 
lamong   the   heathens  we   no   longer   have  any  friends. 
iWe   are  outlawed !     But  the  Lord  reigneth.     He  will 
{not  forsake  us.     I  believe  that  He  is  punishing  us  for 
'our   sins,  but  will    afterward    gather   us  with   greater 
_  mercies.     I  believe  that,  in  His  own  time,  He  will  stop 
jthe  mouth  of  our    enemies,  who    mock   us   and  say, 
j' Where  is  now  their  God?    Let  us  see  whether  He  of 
'whom    they  preach,  and   on   whom   they  depend,  will 
.  protect  them.     Let  us  see  whether  their  God  is  stronger 
than  our  god!' " 


u 


^-.-c.t  ^  ^ 


/ 


I    ,      A     > 


md,  while  he 
s  no  ordinary 
own  spiritual 
ted  his  long, 
and  unmanly 

:>y  the  intelli- 
ind,  on   their 

majority  of 
)3t,  under  the 

the  converts 

Half  King  to 

,  had  gone  to 

^Villiam,  Cor- 

le  rest  to  the 

3ught  of  pro- 

11  we   find   a 

it  a  little  spot 

Klians  ?     The 

ites,  who  call 

o  protection; 

!  any  friends. 

ith.     He  will 

ishing  us  for 

with  greater 

He  will  stop 

us   and  say, 

lother  lie  of 

depend,  will 

>d  is  stronger 


DAVID    Z/'USDERGKR 


501 


After  an  abode  of  four  weeks  at  Lower  Sandui^ky,  the) 
missi'Miariea  took  the  long  expected  boats  to  i'etroit,* 
with  an  escort  of  fourteen  rangers  under  cunimand  of 
Sergeant  Ilau  (April  14).  Levallie  still  accompanied' 
them.  Sailing  down  the  I'ivor,  they  entered  Lake  Erie, 
and,  after  rounding  ^Lirl)lehead  Point  and  leaving  si 
group  of  islands  on  the  right,  infested  in  summer  by 
such  a  multitude  of  ratth'snakes  tliat  they  were  unin- 
habitable, coasted  westward,  crossed  Maumec  liay  on 
the  nineteenth,  and  at  noon  of  the  following  day 
readied  Detroit,  where  convenient  quarters  were  as- 
signed them  in  the  barracks.  Subsequently  they  re- 
moved to  Jenky  ILiU,  beyond  the  gates  of  the  town. 

Major  de  Peyster  gave  them  u  cordial  welcome,  and 
explained  the  cause  of  their  removal.  The  Half  King 
had  again  accused  them  of  corresponding  with  the 
American  commandant  at  Pittsburg;  he  had  insisted 
upon  their  immediate  deportation  from  his  country, 
avowing  that  he  could  not  prosper  while  they  were 
near;  that  their  presence  brought  him  misfortune;  that 
they  were  an  eyesore  and  a  stumbling-block  to  hira; 
he  had  even  threatened  to  murder  them,  if  they  were 
not  called  away.     "Hence,  Mr,  Zeisberger,"  continued 


the  major,  "you  see  that  I  was  compelled  to  have  you 
conveyed  hither.  Your  own  personal  safety  demanded 
it.  I  did  it  most  reluctantly,  but  there  was  no  alter- 
native. You  may  now  either  stay  here  or  go  to  Beth- 
lehem, as  you  may  deem  best.  While  you  remain  at' 
this  post,  I  will  provide  for  all  your  wants." 

There    'as  but  one  sentiment  among  the  missionaries. 

36 


/ 


iM 


■  '1 


?i.v] 


i 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


w^o 


1.0 


I.I 


t   1^    12.0 


1.8 


1.25     J.4    111.6 

^ 6" 

p 


/a 


^ 


n 


/A 


Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


KV^ 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  MS 80 

(716)  872-4503 


'^Z^^U 


w. 


r 


Is 


A 


•\ 


562 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


\\ 


^They  determined  to  revive  the  Mission.  N'othing  but 
^absolute  necessity  could  induce  them  to^ forsake  their 
Iconverts. 

Such  a  self-sacrificing  spirit  awakened  the  warmest 
i  sj-mpathies    of    the    commandant.      Ke    induced    the 
'  Chippewas  to  grant  them  permission  to  begin  the  work 
"  on    those    of   their    huntinsj-jrrounds    which    stretched 
'  along  the  Huron   River ;   and  he  transmitted  both  a 
written  and  a  verbal  message  to  the  Christian  Indians, 
offering  his  services.      This  message,  which  was  sent 
off  on  the  third  of  May,  ran,  in  substance,  as  follows: 
That  their  teachers  were  about  to  settle  in  the  Chip- 
pewa country,  and  r'^suscitate  the  Mission ;  that  Detroit 
was  to  be  the  rendev5vou8,  whither  he  earnestly  invited 
them  to  come,  and  where  he  would  supply  them  with 
provisions ;  that  he  was  sorry  for  their  sufferings,  but 
had  not  been  the  willing  author  of  them,  inasmuch  as  a 
time  of  war  often  rendered  things  necessary  which,  in 
themselves,  were  most  distasteful  to  those  who  executed 
them ;   that  he  did  not  wish  to  bear    the    name  of 
destroyer  of   so    flourishing    a    work    as    the    Indian 
Mission,  —  no,   not  for  the   whole   world,  and  would 
therefore  do  all  in  his  power  to  aid  its  renewal. 

Weeks  passed  by  without  an  answer.  Coimer  and 
(his  family  arrived,  but  not  an  Indian.  It  was  a  time 
I  of  anxious  suspense,  which  Zeisberger  endeavored  to 
^'render  profitable  by  proclaiming  the  Gospel  to  the 
[people  of  Detroit.  He  found  religion  at  its  lowest 
ebb.  The  Roman  Catholics  had  one  priest,  an  old 
man,  who  never  preached,  but  read  mass,  which  was 


I 


uuA 


DAVID  ZETSDERGER. 


563 


attended  bj  the  French  inhabitants  and  such  baptized 
Indians  of  the  Jesuit  Mission  as  passed  that  way.  The 
Protestants  had  no  minister,  or  public  service  of  any 
kind.  A  justice  of  the  peace  attended  to  their  wed- 
dings and  funerals,  administering,  occasionally,  even 
the  sacrament  of  baptism.  Iniquity  abounded  in  all 
its  forms. 

At    last    two    families,     Samuel    Nanticoke's    and 
Adams's,    reached    the    town.       They    said    that    the 
commandant's  message  had  been   received,  but  subse- 
quently contradicted  through  the  machinations  of  the 
enemies    of   the    Mission,    who    were    determined    to 
prevent  its  renewal.     A  second,  more  urgent  message, 
dispatched  by  Zeisberger,  shared  the  same  fate.     After 
a  time,  however,  two  more   families  arrived,  so  that 
there  were  no\v  gathered  at  Detroit  nineteen  Christian 
Indians.     With  this  little  band,  Zeisberger  resolved  to 
begin  the  new  enterprise.     Leaving  Heckewelder  and| 
Senseman  in  the  town,  in  order  to  take  charge  of  such  I 
other  converts  as  might  come,  he  embarked,  on   the  j 
twentieth  of  July,  in  boats  well  laden  \ni\\  supplies,  and 
ascended  the  Detroit  River. 

He  had  led  the  Indians  along  the  Susquehanna,  the 
Alleghany,   and    the  Ohio,  the    Tuscarawas,   and  the  | 
Muskingum,  —  ever  seeking  a   home  for  the  Gospel,  i 
And  now,  with  a  mere  remnant  of  them,  his  course! 
was  westward  still,  to  a  strange    land,   amid  a  rew 
nation,  "hoping  all  things,  believing  all  things." 


'  --<-v^V 


-i-ijp' 


-tr- 


*:,.^ 


V 


s, 


564 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER   XXXVII. 

SECOND    CAMPAIGN   AGAINST    THE    CHRISTIAN  INDIANS,  AND 
NEWS   OP   THE   MASSACRE   IN  THE   STATES.-1V82, 

Crawford's  expedition.  —  The  march  to  Sandusky.  —  Battle  with  the 
savages. — Indian  reinforcements. — Flight  and  rout  of  the  Americans. 
— Cruel  fate  of  the  prisoners. — Crawford  burned  at  the  stake. — Hia 
conversation  with  Wingenund.  —  Uecaliation  for  the  Gnadenhiitten 
mas>aci'e. — Koports  of  the  occurrence  at  Bethlr'hom. — Leinl)ach'.«  and 
Schebosh's  negotiations  with  Congress  and  E.\ecuti\e  Council  of 
Pennsylvania. — Schebosh  goes  to  Pittsburg. — General  Irvine's  letter. 
— Sentiments  at  Pittsburg. — President  Moore's  message  to  the  Assem- 
bly of  Pennsylvania. — Publications  authorized  by  the  Mission  Board. 

Soon  after  the  return  of  Williamsou's  command  from 
the  massacre,  a  second  campaign  was  inaugurated,  with 
the  purpose  of  destroying  the  rest  of  the  Christian 
Indians,  and  attacking  the  Wyandot  settlements  as 
well  as  Pipe's  Town.* 

"  It  was,"  says  Doddridge,  "  the  resolution  of  all 
those  concerned  in  this  expedition  not  to  spare  the 
life  of  any  Indians  that  might  fall  into  their  hands, 
whether  friend  or  foes.  It  would  seem  that  the  long 
continuance  of  the  Indian  War  had  debased  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  our  population  to  the  savage  state 
of  our  nature.  Having  lost  so  many  relatives  by  the 
Indians  and  witnessed  their  horrid  murders,  and  other 
depredations  on  so  extensive  a  scale,  they  became  sub- 

I  Doddridge's  Notes,  chap,  xxxii. 


■'   v'  *;,     '   ^   ,    '        '--   y  Jr~ 


«>-• 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


5G5 


jects  of  that  itidiscriminatiug  thirst  for  revenge  whicli 
is  8uch  a  prominent  featnre  in  the  savage  character, 
and  having  had  a  taste  of  blood  and  plunder,  without 
risk  or  loss  on  their  part,  they  resolved  to  go  on,  and 
kill  every  Indian  they  could  find. 

"  It  was  intended  to  make  what  was  called,  at  that 
time,  'a  dash,'  that  is,  an  enterprise  conducted  with 
secrecy  and  dispatch.  The  men  were  well  mounted  on 
the  best  horses  they  could  procure,  and  furnished  them- 
selves with  all  their  outfits,  except  some  ammunition." 

On  the  twenty-fifth  of  May,  nearly  five  hundred 
volunteers  mustered  at  Mingo  Town,  and  elected 
Colonel  Crawford  as  their  commander.  Williamson 
was  his  unsuccessful  competitor.  Following  "  William- 
son's trail,"  they  came  to  the  ruins  of  New  Schonbrunn, 
where  they  encamped,  and  fed  their  horses  on  the  un- 
harvested  corn  of  the  plantations.  A  glimpse  of  two 
Indian  scouts,  watching  their  movements,  threw  them 
into  such  confusion  that  dark  forebodings  filled  the 
mind  of  their  leader.  On  the  sixth  of  June,  they 
reached  Sandusky,  and  prepared  to  surprise  the  Chris- 
tian Indians  as  they  had  done  at  Gnadenhiitten.  But 
Captives'  Town  was  deserted,  its  huts  lay  in  ruins,  its 
gardens  and  fields  were  covered  with  rank  grass.  The 
Half  King's  brutal  expulsion  of  the  converts  had  saved  j 
them  from  a  second  massacre. 

The  disappointed  volunteers  held  a  council,  and  re- 
solved to  proceed  one  day  longer  in  search  of  the 
Indians,  but  if  they  did  not  fall  in  with  them  by  that 
time,  then  to  march  back  to  Pittsburg.     They  knew  not 


Ih 


(M 


I!  i 


:i: 


},■. 


tl  i 


I    i 


./. 


■y..K, 


' .  /     ^  /'--     ^.'{T ., 


566 


/■ 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


\ 


.,^>    .^.mVn-^A^' 


thut  they  had  already  advanced  too  far,  that  warriors 
were  reconnoitering  all  their  movements,  and  that  they 
would  meet  not  the  inoffensive  religionists  of  the  Mis- 
sion, hut  braves,  painted  and  plumed,  and  burning  to 
avenge  the  blood  of  their  murdered  countrymen.  The 
very  next  afternoon,  about  three  miles  north  of  Upper 
Sandusky,  and  one  mile  west  of  the  river,  a  large  body 
of  savages  suddenly  rose  from  the  high  grass  of  the 
plains  and  disputed  their  progress.  A  battle  imme- 
diately ensued,  and  continued  until  dark.  Both  parties 
lay  on  their  arms  during  the  night.  In  the  morning, 
the  Ind'.ans  did  not  resume  the  engagement,  but  sent 
for  reinforcements,  which  arrived  in  such  numbers  as  to 
threaten  the  Americans  with  an  overwhelming  discom- 
fiture. Their  only  hope  was  an  instant  retreat.  It 
began  in  the  night,  in  good  order.  But  some  shots,  in 
the  direction  of  the  enemy,  caused  a  disastrous  panic; 
the  cry  was  raised  that  their  design  had  been  discovered, 
straggling  parties  broke  away  from  the  army  and  sought 
safety  in  headlong  flight,  until  the  retreat  became  a 
general  rout.  In  the  midst  of  this  confusion,  the  sav- 
ages fell  upon  the  volunteers  with  the  utmost  fury,  but 
ceased  their  attack  on  the  main  body,  in  order  to  pur- 
sue the  stragglers,  nearly  all  of  whom  were  either  cut 

I  down  on  the  spot,  or  taken  prisoners.     The  victory  of 
^  the   Indians  was    complete.     Scarcely  three  hundred 

I  Americans  reached  the  settlements. 

A  terrible  fate  awaited  the  captives.     They  were  tor- 

:tured  to   death  with  all   the   arts   of  savage  cruelty. 

/  Among  these  suflerers  was  Colonel  Crawford  himself, 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


667 


li 


who  fell  into  the  hands  of  Captain  Pipe.  lie  was 
taken  to  an  Indian  village  for  execution.  A  post, 
about  fifteen  feet  high;  was  set  in  the  ground  and  a 
large  fire  of  hickory  poles  kindled  around  it,  at  a 
distance  of  six  yards. 

While  these  p.'eparations  were  going  on,  Crawford 
recollected  that  Captain  Wiugenund  had  been  several 
times  entertained  at  his  house,  and  that  they  had  parted 
as  friends  wiio  would  stand  by  one  another  in  adversity. 
He  requested  that  this  warrior  might  be  f,ent  for.  Win- 
genund  obeyed  the  summons,  but  with  extreme  reluc- 
tance. Approaching  the  colonel,  he  waited  in  silence 
for  the  communications  he  might  choose  to  make. 

"Do  you  recollect  me,  "VVingenund ?"  began  Craw- 
ford. 

"  I  believe  I  do.    Are  you  not  Colonel  Crawford  ?" 

"  I  am.  How  do  you  do  ?  I  am  glad  to  see  you, 
captain." 

"Ah!"  replied  Wingenund,  with  much  embarrass- 
ment.    *'  Yes,  indeed !" 

"Do  you  recollect  the  friendship  that  always  existed 
between  us,  and  that  we  were  always  glad  to  see  each 
other?" 

"  I  recollect  all  this.  I  remember  that  we  have  drunk 
many  a  bowl  of  punch  together.  I  remember  also  other 
acts  of  kindness  that  you  have  done  me." 

"Then  I  hope  the  same  friendship  still  exists  be- 
tween us." 

"  It  would,  of  course,  be  the  same  were  you  in  your 
proper  place  and  not  here." 


I 


t  I 


13 


568 


LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF 


"  And  why  not  here,  captain  ?  I  hope  you  would  not 
desert  a  friend  in  time  of  need.  Now  is  the  time  for 
you  to  exert  yourself  in  my  behalf,  as  I  should  do  for 
you  were  you  in  my  place." 

*'  Colonel  Crawford,  you  have  placed  yourself  in  a 
situation  which  puts  it  out  of  my  power  and  that  of 
otners  of  your  friends  to  do  anything  for  you." 

"  How  80,  Captain  "Wingenund  ?" 

"  By  joining  yourself  to  that  execrable  man,  "William- 
son and  his  party;  the  man  who  but  the  other  day  mur- 
dered such  a  number  of  the  Moravian  Indians,  knowing 
them  to  be  friends — knowing  that  he  ran  no  risk  in 
murdering  a  people  who  would  not  fight,  and  whose 
only  business  was  praying." 

"  Wingenund,  I  assure  you  that  had  I  been  with  him 
at  the  time  this  would  not  have  happened ;  not  I  alone, 
but  all  your  friends  and  all  good  men,  wherever  they 
are,  reprobate  acts  of  this  kind." 

"That  may  be;  yet  these  friends,  these  good  men, 
did  not  prevent  him  from  going  out  again  to  kill  the 
remainder  of  these  inoffensive  yet  foolish  Moravian  In- 
dians I  I  say  foolish,  because  they  believed  the  whites 
in  preference  to  us.  We  had  often  told  them  that  they 
would  be  one  day  so  treated,  by  those  people  who  called 
themselves  their  friends !  We  told  them  that  there  was 
no  faith  to  be  placed  in  what  the  white  men  said ;  that 
their  fair  promises  were  only  intended  to  allure  us,  that 
they  might  the  more  easily  kill  us,  as  they  have  done 
many  Indians  before  they  killed  these  Moravians." 

I  am  sorry  to  hear  you  speak  thus ;  as  to  William- 


<( 


t% 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


569 


Bon's  goirg  out  again,  when  it  wa^  known  that  he  was 
determined  on  it,  I  went  out  with  him  to  prevent  him 
from  committing  fresh  murders." 

"  This,  colonel,  the  Indians  would  not  believe  were 
even  I  to  tell  them  so." 

"And  why  would  they  not  believe  it?" 

''Because  it  would  have  been  out  of  your  power  to 
prevent  his  doing  what  he  pleased." 

"Out  of  my  power!  Have  any  Moravian  Indians 
been  killed  or  hurt  since  we  came  out  ?" 

"Is"one  ;  but  you  went  first  to  their  town,  and  finding 
it  empty  and  deserted  you  turned  on  the  path  toward 
us.  If  you  had  been  in  search  of  warriors  only,  you 
would  not  have  gone  thither.  Our  spies  watched  you 
closely.  They  saw  you  while  you  were  embodying  your- 
selves on  the  other  side  of  the  Ohio;  they  saw  you  cross 
that  river;  they  saw  where  you  encamped  at  night;  they 
saw  you  turn  oft'  from  the  path  to  the  deserted  Mora- 
vian town  ;  they  knew  you  were  going  out  of  your  way ; 
your  steps  were  constantly  watched,  and  you  were  suf- 
fered quietly  to  proceed  until  you  reached  the  spot 
where  you  were  attacked." 

"  "What  do  they  intend  to  do  with  me  ?  Can  you  tell 
me?" 

"  I  tell  you  with  grief,  colonel.  As  Williamson  and 
his  whole  cowardly  host  ran  oft"  in  the  night  at  the 
whistling  of  our  warriors'  balls,  being  satisfied  that 
now  he  had  no  Moravians  to  deal  with,  but  men  who 
could  fight,  and  with  such  he  did  not  wish  to  have  any- 
thing to  do  ;  I  say,  as  he  escaped,  and  they  have  taken 
you,  they  will  take  revenge  on  you  in  his  stead." 


1] 


570 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


"  Aud  is  there  uo  possibility  of  preventing  this  ? 
Cun  you  devise  no  way  to  get  me  off?  You  sliiill, 
my  friend,  be  well  rewarded  if  you  are  instrumental 
in  saving  my  life." 

"  Had  Williamson  been  taken  with  you,  I  and  some 
friends,  by  making  use  of  what  you  have  told  me, 
might  perhaps  have  succeeded  in  saving  you ;  but,  as 
the  matter  now  stands,  no  man  would  dare  to  inter- 
fere in  your  behalf  The  King  of  England  himself, 
were  he  to  come  to  this  spot,  with  all  his  wealth  and 
treasures,  could  not  effect  this  purpose.  The  blood  of 
the  innocent  Moravians,  more  than  half  of  them  women 
and  children,  cruelly  and  wantonly  murdered,  calls 
aloud  for  revenge.  The  relatives  of  the  slain,  who  are 
among  us,  cry  out  and  stand  ready  for  revenge.  The 
nation  to  which  they  belonged  will  have  revenge.  The 
Shawanese,  our  grandchildren,  have  asked  for  your 
fellow-prisoner  ;  on  him  they  will  take  revenge.  All 
the  nations  connected  with  us  cry  out,  Revenge ! 
revenge!  The  Moravians  whom  they  went  to  destroy 
having  fled,  instead  of  avenging  their  brethren,  the 
offense  is  become  national,  and  the  nation  itself  is 
bound  to  take  revenge!'' 

"  Then  it  seems  my  fate  is  decided,  and  I  must 
prepare  to  meet  death  in  Hs  worst  form  ?" 

"Yes,  colonel! — I  am  sorry  for  it;  but  cannot  do 
anything  for  you.  Had  you  attended  to  the  Indian 
principle,  that  as  good  and  evil  cannot  dwell  together 
in  the  same  heart,  so  a  good  man  ought  not  to  go  into 
evil  company,  you  would  not  be  in  this  lamentable 


.1-.^ 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


571 


situation.  You  see,  now,  when  it  is  too  late,  after 
Williunison  has  deserted  you,  what  a  bad  man  he  must 
be !  Nothing  now  remains  for  you  but  to  meet  your 
fate  like  a  brave  man.  Farewell,  Colonel  Crawford, — 
they  are  coming!"* 

So  saying,  Wingenund  burst  into  a  flood  of  tears  and 
turned  away,  seeking  a  place  where  he  could  not  see 
the  approaching  torture.  lie  never,  afterward,  spoke 
of  the  fate  of  his  unfortunate  friend  without  strong 
emotions  of  grief.* 

The  savages  now  stripped  Colonel  Crawford,  and, 
having  first  beaten  him  with  sticks,  tied  him  to  the 
post  by  a  rope  long  enough  to  allow  him  to  walk  two 
or  three  times  around  it.  Then  they  began  to  dis- 
charge gunpowder  at  his  person,  and  to  burn  him  with 
brands,  coals,  and  hot  ashes.  In  a  little  while  the 
space  between  the  tire  and  the  post  was  covered  with 
coals,  on  which  he  was  made  to  walk.  Simon  Girty 
stood  by  and  looked  on,  answering  with  a  derisive 
laugh  his  appeal  to  shoot  him  that  he  might  be 
relieved  from  his  misery.'    Thus  the  unfortunate  officer 


»  This  conversation  is  recorded  by  Heckewelder,  in  his  History  of 
the  Indian^Natioji^^^  281-284^  who  had  it,  word  for  word,  from  "Win- 
genund himself,  with  whom  he  was  well  acquainted.  As  Hockewel- 
der's  work  has  become  exceedingly  rare,  I  have  inserted  the  dialogue, 
which  serves  to  illustrate  the  feelings  of  the  savages  with  regard  to  the 
massacre  at  Gnadenhiitten. 

*  To  this  Heckewelder  again  bears  testimony,  who  was  a  frequent 
witness  of  such  emotions. — Heckewelder' a  Hist,  of  Ind.  Nations,  p.  284. 

'  Another  account  says  that  Girty,  at  first,  tried  to  ransom  Craw- 
ford, which  so  incensed  Pipe  that  he  threatened  to  put  Girty  to  a  similar 
torture,  whereupon  ho  made  common  cause  with  the  savages. 


572 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


]    : 


I 


\ 


Buffered  for  three  hours,  until  death  mercifully  came  to 
\m  aid. 

The  Indians  distinctly  avowed,  as  is  clear  from  the 
conversation  bet»veen  Wingenund  and  Crawford,  that 
they  inflicted  such  tortures  in  retaliation  for  the  mas- 
sacre at  Gnadenhiitten ;  and,  indeed,  a  number  of  their 
victims  had  actually  taken  part  in  that  atrocious  deed. 
We  here  recognize  that  law  in  the  government  of  the 
world  which  men  have  so  often  been  made  to  feel,  and 
which  is  thus  written  in  the  statutes  of  God:  "Vengeance 
is  mine;  I  will  repay,  saith  the  Lord."* 

Crawford's  doom  awakened  universal  sorrow  in  the 
States.     He  was  the  friend  of  Washington  and  greatly 

^  beloved.  We  will  neither  detract  from  his  fame  nor 
reproach  his  memory;  but  that  he  lent  himself,  after  a 
confession  of  the  principles  of  the  Prince  of  Peace  such 
as  had  been  given  under  the  blows  of  the  tomahawk 
and  the  crash  of  the  war-club  at  Gnadenhiitten,  to  the 
command  of  an  expedition  destined  to  slay  the  remnant 

I  of  God's  people  among  the  Western  Indians,  can  be 

\  palliated  only  by  the  barbarism  which  the  Revolution 

•  evoked  on  the  frontiers. 

Meantime  the  news  of  the  massacre  had  reached  Beth- 
lehem and  spread  throughout  the  States.  The  first  Mo- 
ravian who  heard  of  it  was  Frederick  Leinbach,  who 
had  charge  of  the  church-store  at  Hope,  in  New  Jersey. 
One  of  his  neighbors  had  been  at  Pittsburg,  and  seen 
the  bloody  scalps  of  the  converts  displayed  as  trophies 


^  Bomans,  xii.  19. 


DAVID  ZEISIiERGEll. 


573 


and  tlielr  property  put  up  at  auction.  Leiubaeli,  in  per-  * 
BOu,  hurriod  to  report  to  tho  Board.  At  Nazarotli,  lio  mot 
Bislioi*  8eidel,  and  with  him  proceeded  to  Bethlehem. 
Tlie  intelligence  was  so  authentic  tliat  it  could  not  he 
doubted,  and,  at  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  (April  5), 
the  congregation  was  publicly  informed  of  the  calamity. 
On  the  same  day  the  Board  received  a  missive  from 
Krogstrup,  pastor  of  the  church  at  Lancaster,  detailing 
the  occurrence  in  the  words  of  a  traveler  fresh  from 
Pittsburg,  only  with  this  difference,  that  the  majority 
of  the  victims  were  said  to  have  been  warriors  and 
not  Moravian  Indians.  Then  followed  communicatioii'i 
from  nearly  every  quarter  where  the  Brethren  had 
churches,  all  describing  the  event  as  set  forth  by  differ- 
ent authorities.  Ettwcin,  too,  who  was  on  a  journey, 
wrote  to  say  that  he  had  met  with  a  German  who  boast- 
fully claimed  to  have  been  one  of  "Williamson's  party. 

"'lie  Board  sent  Leinbach  to  Philadelphia  to  notify 
Congress  of  what  had  occurred,  and  to  petition  for 
measures  wliich  would  insure  the  safety  of  the  rest  of 
the  converts.  He  received  from  Lewis  Weiss  the  fol- 
lowing letter  to  Charles  Thomson,  its  secretary: 


To  Charles  Thomson,  Esquire,  Secrefary  of  Congress,  per  Mr.  Fred- 

KKICK    LkINBACH. 

Sir — I  received,  this  afternoon,  a  letter  from  tho  Reverend  Nathaniel, 
Bishop  of  tho  United  Churehes  of  the  Brethren,  residing  at  Bethlehem, 
dated  the  5th  instant  He  informs  mc  that  the  same  day  a  melancholy 
report  was  brought  to  him,  by  one  Mr.  Leinbach,  relative  to  a  murder 
committed  bj*  white  men  upon  a  number  of  Christian  Indians,  at  a/ 
place  called  Muskingum.  He  continues,  in  his  letter,  that  the  samoj 
Mr.  Leinbach  is  to  proceed,  tho  next  day,  to  Philadelphia,  in  order  to! 
give  Congress  information  how  he  came  to  the  knov.  ledge  of  that  event^' 


574 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


i  '    I; 


:li 


so  thatC(in£;r(>«.=  ,  unlp=s  it  hnd  i'rpadya  bettor  account  oftbo  nffuir  than 
ho  can  pive,  might,  upon  his  report,  take  some  measures  with  respect  as 
well  of  the  mischief  alrewdy  done  as  more  which  might  bo  jone,  and 
thus  prevent  the  total  extirpation  of  a  congregation  of  Indians  con- 
verted to  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  judgments  of  Almighty  God 
apainst  our  dear  ooimtry,  which  stands  much  in  need  of  His  divine 
p  otoction.  The  Bishop  desires  me  to  give  attention  to  Mr.  Leinbuch's 
report  (I  have  done  it),  and  to  direct  him  where  he  should  make  his 
addresses.  I  make  bold,  Sir,  to  address  him  to  you,  and  to  bog  the  favor 
that  you  introduce  him,  if  possible,  this  night,  with  the  Dologatcs  of  the 
State  of  Virginia,  from  whence  it  is  said  the  mischief  originated,  and 
to-morrow  morning  wifh  Congress. 

Your  humanity.  Sir,  gives  me  confidence  to  use  the  freedom  to  trouble 
j'ou  this  day — the  day  sot  apart  for  the  service  of  men  to  their  God — 
about  a  cause  which  is  most  properly  His  own.  The  tragic  scenes  of 
erecting  two  Butcher  Houses,  or  Sheds,  and  killing,  in  cold  blood,  95 
brown  or  ♦awny  sheep  of  Jesus  Christ,  one  by  one,  is  certainly  taken 
notice  of  by  the  Shepherd,  their  Creator  and  Redeemer. 
I  am,  with  particular  respect,  Sir, 

Your  most  obed.  humble  servant, 

L.  "Weiss.' 
SuivDAT,  7  April,  1782. 

Congress  referred  the  case  to  President  Moore,  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  his  Chief  Executive  Council,  request- 
ing that  body  to  begin  an  investigation.  The  Council 
sent,  by  Schebosh,  who  was  going  to  Pittsburg  as  the 
messenger  of  the  Mission  Board,  a  dispatch  to  Genera' 
Irvine  as  follows : 


In  Council, 
Philada.,  April  13th,  1782. 

Sir — The  Council  have  received  information,  thro'  various  channels, 
that  a  party  of  militia  have  killed  a  number  of  Indians,  at  or  near  Mus- 
kingham  ;  and  that  a  certain  Mr.  Bull  (Joseph  Schebosh)  was  killed  at 
the  same  time.  The  Council  being  desirous  of  receiving  full  informa- 
tion on  a  subject  of  such   importance,  request  you  will   obtain  and 

1  Penn.  Archives,  ix.  523. 


I 


DAVID  ZElSIiERGEK. 


575 


transmit    to    them    the    facts    relative  thereto,  nuthcntieated  in    the 
clearest,  manner.* 

But  Schebosh  was  not  satisfied  with  letters.  Ho 
wanted  action  on  the  part  of  the  government.  Writing 
from  Litiz,  he  said  that  both  the  Coniicil  and  the  Board 
of  War  were,  indeed,  much  concerned  about  the  maa- 
sacre,  but  protested  that  they  co;ild  do  nothing  except 
order  the  commandant  at  Pittsburg  to  use  all  his 
authority  to  prevent  such  occurrences  in  the  future 
"  God  must  help  us,"  adds  Schebosh,  "  we  cannot 
reckon  upon  the  help  of  man." 

Returning  from  Pittsburg  to  Bethlehem,  three  days 

after    the    second    expedition    against    the    Christian 

Indians   had    mustered  at  Mingo   Town,  he   brought 

the  following    lines    from    General    Irvine   to   Bishop 

Seidel : 

Fort  Pitt,  May  8th,  1782. 

Sir — I  recoi^'od  your  letter  of  the  11th  April  last,  by  Mr.  Sheboshe; 
any  attention  paid  him,  when  a  prisoner,  by  me,  was  not  meant  to  lay 
him,  or  any  person  for  him,  under  the  smallest  obligation,  it  was  dic- 
tated by  humanity. 

As  ho  can  inform  you  verbally  of  the  transaction  at  Muskingham,  it 
will  bo  unnecessary  for  me,  at  this  time,  to  trouble  you  with  an  account 
of  it.  He  can  also  inform  you  of  my  intentions  respecting  future 
measures. 

I  believe  the  Missionaries  are  safe,  and  I  can  assure  you  it  will 
always  be  pleasing  to  me  to  be  able  to  render  them  service.  I  hope 
(and  think  it  probable)  thoy  have  removed  farther  than  Sandusky,  that 
being  now  a  frontier,  and  one  of  the  British  and  Indian  Barrier  Towns, 
thvy  cannot  rationally  expect  to  be  safe  at  it. 

I  am,  Sir, 

Your  obedient,  humble  servi  nt, 

Wm.  Irv'ne.' 
The  Rev.  Mr.  Nathaniel  Skidel. 


>  Penn.  Archives,  ix.  525. 


2  Original  Letter.     MS.  B.  A, 


' 


Wy 


^ 


t     ^ 


'  / 


y 


/ 


576 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


Schebosh  reported,  further,  that  tlie  commandant,  a 
majority  of  his  officers,  and  many  intelligent  men  dis- 
approved of  the  massace,  and  won  11  do  all  in  their 
power  to  protect  the  remnant  of  Christian  Indians. 
From  this  it  is  evident  that  Crawford's  "dash"  was 
either  undertaken  without  the  knowledge  of  General 
Irvine,  or  that  he  was  unable  to  hinder  it.  That  Sche- 
bosh was  correct  in  his  view  of  the  sentiment  prevail- 
ing at  Pittsburg  is  shown  by  a  letter  which  President 
Moore  received  from  Lieutenant-Colonel  Edward  Cook, 
of  "Westmoreland  County,  dated  the  second  of  Sep- 
tember, 1782.     In  this  communication  he  says : 

*  I  am  informed  that  you  have  it  roported  that  the  massacre  of  the 
Moravian  Indians  obtains  the  approbation  of  every  man  on  this  side  of 
the  3Iountain.s,  which  I  assure  your  Excellency  is  false ;  that  the  better 
part  of  the  community  are  of  opinion  the  perpetrators  of  that  wicked 
deed  ought  to  be  brought  to  condign  punishment ;  that  without  some- 
thing is  done  by  Government  in  the  matter,  it  will  disgru^-o  the  annals 
of  the  United  States,  and  be  an  everlasting  plea  and  cover  for  British 
cruelty.' 

Prior  to  the  receipt  of  this  letter,  President  Moore 
had  sent  a  message  to  the  Assembly  of  Pennsylvania 
(August  14th),  in  the  course  of  which  he  said : 

'  We  had  jreat  reason  to  apprehend  a  severe  blow  would  be  aimed  at 
the  frontiers  by  the  Indians  Our  fears,  in  this  respect,  have  been  but 
too  well  justified  by  events  that  have  since  happened,  and  there  is 
reason  to  believe  that  the  blow  has  fallen  with  redoubled  force,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  killing  of  the  Moravian  Indians  at  Muskinghiim,  an 
act  which  never  had  our  approbation  or  countenance  in  any  manner 
whatever. 


'  Penn.  Archives,  ix.  629. 


i 


U 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


577 


On  tins  message  a  committee  was  appointed,  which 
reported,  Thursday,  August  15,  as  follows :  j 

Your  CommittGO  are  of  opinion  that  an  enquiry,  on  legal  principles, 
ought  to  ho  instituted  rcspcgting  the  killing  of  the  Moravian  Indians  at 
MusUingham  ;  an  act  disgraceful  to  humanity,  and  produetiv(!  of  the 
most  dinagreeahle  and  dangerous  consequence?. 

llosolved,  therefore,  that  this  llouse  will  give  every  support  in  their 
power  to  the  Sujjreme  Executive  Council  toward  prosecuting  an  enquiry 
respecting  the  killing  of  the  Moravian  Indians  at  Muskingham.' 

Some  newspapers  having  excused  the  massacre,  and 
represented  the  victims  as  warriors,  and  the  Moravian 
Indians  generally  as  ht  suhjects  for  extermination,  the 
Mission  Board  published  all  the  documents  within  its 
reach  relating  to  the  occurrence,  and  thus  removed 
unfavorable  impressions  from  the  public  mind.  Legal 
proceedings,  however,  such  r,s  had  been  recommended 
by  the  Assembly  of  Pennsylvania,  never  took  place. 
The  fatal  issue  of  Crawford's  campaign,  and  the  terrible 
defeat  of  the  Kentuckians,  at  the  Big  Blue  Lick,  by  a 
large  body  of  Indians,  under  Simon  Girty  and  others, 
closed  the  scenes  of  Indian  warfare  in  the  great  drama 
of  the  Revolution;  and  soon  after  came  the  general 
peace.  A  subsequent  grant  of  land,  by  Congress,  to 
the  Christian  Indians  was  the  only  official  act  of 
indemnity. 


1  A  MS.  Record  of  the  Message  and  Report.     B.  A. 


37 


!i 


1 


J  i:i 


:i     Ml 


II 


tl 


678 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER    XXXVIII. 

ZEISBERGBR  AT  NEW  GNADENHUTTEN,  IN  MICHIGAN.— 1782-1786. 

Encampment  on  the  Clinton. — Chiiracter  of  the  country. — New  Gnudcn- 
hiitten. — The  scattered  converts. — Sir  John  Johnson,  and  English 
views  of  theahductionoi' the  missionaries. — Instructions  from  the  homo 
government. — Peace  between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States. — 
"Renatus,  the  Mohican. — New  mode  of  hunting  and  fishing. — The 
Chippewas. — Schebosh  again  joins  the  Mission. — Letters  from  the 
Board. — Death  of  BishopScidel. — A  winter  of  unexamiilcd  severity. — 
Complications  in  Indian  affairs  of  the  West. — Jungmann,  Senscman, 
and  Michael  Jungretirc  to  Bethlehem. — Edwards's  visit  to  Pittsburg. 
— Letters  from  Bishop  de  Watteville. — A  grant  by  Congress. — Un- 
certainty with  regard  to  the  future  of  the  Mission. — Treaty  at  Fort 
Finney. — The  Mission  removed  from  Now  Gnadenbiitten. — The  Con- 
ner family  remains  in  that  town. 

/  'A  HALF  day's  sail  brought  Zeisberger  and  his  partj^  to^ 
I  Lake  St.  Clair.     Having  anchored  oflF  Point   Clinton, 
'Sthey  entered  the  Clinton — or,  as   it  was  then   called, 
iHuron  River — next  morning,  and  followed  it  up  ui^til 
fevening,  when  they  encamped. 

On  the  south  bank  extended  a  plateau,  unobstructed 
by  t"ecs,  but  suriounded  on  all  sides  with  woods,  and 
springs  of  limpid  water  gushing  from  its  base.  Pat 
bottoms,  with  fine  timber,  skirted  the  stream.  The 
sycamore,  beech,  and  lime,  the  ash,  oak,  poplar,  and 
hickory  abounded ;  sassafras-trees  of  unusual  size  were 
found;  and  wild  flax  grew  luxuriantly.  The  forests 
were  not  open,  as  in  Ohio,  but  tangled  with  dense 
thickets,  and  interspersed  with  morasses. 


a 


/: 


'■'  c'd 


DAVID   ZEISBEKGER. 


570 


In  the  evening  of  the  twenty-second  of  July,  the 
little  band  of  Indians  gathered  around  Zeisberger  and 
set  apart  this  spot,  by  prayer  to  God,  as  the  site 
of  a  Christian  settlement,  to  be  called  Gnadenhiitten.' 
"When  finished,  it  consisted  of  one  street  of  log-houses, 
with  a  church,  wliich  was  dedicated  on  the  fifth  of 
November.  Tovrard  the  end  of  August,  Senseman  and 
Ileckewelder  joined  the  Mission,  and,  on  the  twenty-  \ 
fifth  of  September,  the  Holy  CoiTimunion  was  cele- 
brated for  the  first  time  in  the  new  villat^e. 

The  scattered  converts  came  in  very  slowly,  owing  to 
the  machinations  of  the  heathen,  as  well  as  to  an  unfor- 
tunate diftarencc  among  themselves.  Mark,  with  all 
the  authority  of  a  national  assistant,  denounced  the 
gathering  on  the  distant  Clinton,  and  urged  the 
Christian  Indians  to  settle  among  the  Twightwees. 
By  the  end  of  the  year,  but  fifty-three  persons  ^vere 
living  at  New  Gnadenhiitten. 

Zeisberger  frequently  visited  Detroit.  On  one  occa- 
sion, he  was  introduced  to  Sir  John  Johnson,  the  Gen- 
eral Superintendent  of  Indian  Aftairs,  who  had  recently 
arrivel  from  England,  bringing  with  him  letters  from 
Ignatius  La  Trobe,^  the  British  Secretary  of  the  Unitas 
Fratrum,  and  Wollin,  the  Mission  Agent  in  London. 


1  In  his  Ilisioiyof  the  Indian  Mission,  Loskiel  cliangcd  tlii^  name  into 
Now  Gnndcnhiitten,  for  tho  sake  of  convenience,  .aid  I  will  follow  him. 
The  town  was  situated  on  the  south  side  of  tho  Clinton  River,  between 
Mt.  Clemens  and  Fi-cderick,  in  Clinton  Township,  Mai'omb  County, 
Michigan. — Jw.gc  Campbell's  Lecture  before  the  Michigan  Historical 
Society,  in  1858,  published  in  the  Detroit  Daily  Advertiser. 

2  A  distinguished  clorgynuin  of  the  British  lloruvian  Chu  -eh,  born. 
1758,  at  Fulneck,  in  Yorkshire.     He  filled  tho  office  yf  ''Secretary  of 


580 


LIFE  A\D    TIMES  OF 


I 

•III! 
Ill 


11 


These  letters  inclosed  u  draft  for  one  hundred  pounds 
sterliug,  from  the  "Society  lor  Propagatini;-  the  Gospel 
among  the  Heathen,'"'  and  were  to  the  hearts  of  the 
missionaries  like  sunbeams  after  dark  days.  They 
had  not  heard  from  tiieir  own  Board  for  more  than  a 
year. 

Sir  John  Johnson  told  Zeisberger  that  the  abduction 
ot'  the  Moravian  teachers  from  tlie  Tuscarawas,  and  the 
;  overthrow  of  their  nourishing  Mi.^sion,  had  produced  a 
great  stir  in  England.     Well  might  he  say  this.     Not  a 
nameless  church  had  been   injured,  but  one  acknowl- 
edged by  Parliament,  and  invited  to  labor  in  the  British 
Colonies.      Some  of  the  most  influential   men  of  the 
kingdom  were  her  upholders.     Johnson  himself  spoke 
of  her  "powerful  friends"  in  England.     Of  all  this  the 
instructions  which  he  had  received  were  an  evidence. 
.The  Mission  was  to  be  protected  in  every  way,  and  the 
i  Moravian  ministers  to  bo  treated  wnth  all   respect  and 
■  distinction.     These  instructions  were  a  passport  to  still 
j  closer  intimacy  with  the  commandant,  and  to  general 
[favor  at  Detroit. 

With  the  genial  breezes  of  spring  (1783)  came  joyful 
experiences.  On  his  return  from  a  visit  to  Detroit,  Ed- 
wards brought  the  first  news  of  a  general  peace.     Pre- 


tho  Unity  of  tho  Brothroii  in  Enp:land,"  and  also  that  of  "Secretary  of 
the  Society  for  the  Furtliorance  of  tho  Gospel,"  was  a  Senior  Civills  of 
tho  Chinch,  and  did  nuich  to  develop  her  literature  and  sacred  music. 
Among  his  works  is  the  English  translation  of  "  Lcskiel's  History  of 
tho  Missions  among  the  Indians  in  N.  A."     Ho  died  May  6,  1836. 

*  A  Moravian  Missionary  Society  organized  in  England  in  1741,  and 
one  of  the  oldest  in  existence. 


.^•■',',   v'  .♦--^"^"^ 


-r 


DAVID   ZEISIiERGER. 


^.81 


limiiiaries  had  been  signed  at  Paris  in  the  previous  year 
(i'J'oveniber  30),  and  on  the  nineteenth  of  April  a  ee.-^sa- 
tion  of  hostilities  was  proclaimed.  About  the  same  time 
that  such  intelliiirencc  tilled  Xew  Gnadenhiitten  witli 
praise,  ^orty-three  converts  arrived  from  thu-  Hhawanose 
towns,  in  order  again  to  c;ist  in  their  lot  with  God's 
people.  These  were  followed  by  Renatus,  the  Mohicun, 
whose  name  occurs  in  the  history  of  the  Paxton  Insur- 
rection, now  a  poor  wanderer,  wdio  had  been  cri-ing  and 
straying  for  many  years.  He  liad  left  the  church  at  Frie- 
denshlitten  and  relapsed  into  heathenism ;  but  his  con- 
science gave  him  no  peace  until,  accompanied  by  his  , 
w^hole  family,  he  sought  out  the  remnant  of  the  Mission, '. 
confessed  his  sins,  and  vowed  to  live  to  God.  He  was 
read, fitted  to  church-fellowship,  and  died  sooij  after  in 
the  full  hope  of  eternal  life.  Thomas,  the  grandson  of 
Xetawatwes,  brcakin<>:  awav  from  the  Delaware  chiefs, 
who  tried  their  utmost  to  detain  him,  also  arrived  and 
reunited  with  the  converts. 

In  their  new  homes  they  had  to  learn  new  ways. 
There  being  but  few  hills,  and  the  country  covered  with 
thick  forests,  they  could  not  hunt  singly,  as  in  the  Tus- 
carawas valley,  but,  for  the  most  part,  went  to  the  chase 
in  a  body.  The  best  marksmen  formed  a  semicircle 
around  the  skirt  of  a  wood,  toward  which  the  rest  drove 
the  game  from  the  opposite  side.  When  fishing,  tliey 
followed  the  example  of  the  Chippewas,  and  built  weirs 
in  the  river.  Ai^d,  as  Detroit  was  not  far  off,  they 
began  an  extensive  trade  in  canoes,  baskets^  and  other 
articles    of   native    manufacture.      The    only   heathens 


\ 


v 


in 


:\ 


i !  1 


582 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OP 


they  met  wore  Chippewas,  whose  habits  were  peculiar. 
TlicsG  Indians  often  spent  a  whole  winter  in  the  forests 
hunting.  In  spring,  they  gave  up  the  chase  and  boiled 
maple  sugar.  This  they  sold  at  Detroit,  and  then  passed 
the  summer  fishing  in  Lake  Erie.  Thus  a  party  of 
Chippewas  would  be  absent  from  its  village  for  almost 
a  year. 

In  the  be<jinninff  of  Julv,  Schebosh  arrived  from  Beth- 
lehem.  His  Indian  wife  and  daughters,  who  had  been 
living  among  tlie  Shawanesc  since  the  massacre,  had 
previously  come  to  Kew  Gnadenhutten,  so  that  this 
much-tried  family  was,  at  last,  reunited. 

John  "VVcigand  accompanied  Schebosh,  as  a  special 
messenger  from  the  Board,  with  letters  to  the  mission- 
aries, the  first  which  reached  them  in  two  long  and  weary 
years.  These  letters  brought  the  news  of  the  death  of 
Bishop  Seidel  (May  17, 1782),  who  had  gone  down  to  his 
^i'ave  mourning  for  his  Indian  brethren,  and  lamenting 
the  inevitable  decline  of  the  Mission  which  he  foresaw. 
For  twenty  years  he  had  devoted  his  Ciergies  to  its 
extension,  rejoiced  over  its  prospei'ity,  and  gloried  in 
its  growing  influence.  The  unexpected  catastrophe  at 
Gnadenhutten  was  an  enigma  which  he  could  not  solve. 
Other  intelligence  from  Bethlehem,  however,  was  more 
encouraging.  Ettwein,  who  had  succeeded  Bishop  Sei- 
del, aided  by  Huebner  and  Schweinitz,  was  preparing  to 
jlay  a  petition  before  Congress,  asking  for  a  grant  of 
land,  on  which  the  Christian  Indians  might  live  and 
I  worship  God  in  peace.  The  whole  Board  was  animated 
'by  the  determination  to  do  all  in  its  power  to  resuscitate 
the  Mission. 


28tH 


y 


..-i-< 


/- 


V-  y  •' 


■-it 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


583 


The  winter  set  in  with  nnprecoclcnted  severity.  Such 
weather  had  not  been  known  in  the  depcndcnciea  of 
Detroit,  and  tlie  Indian  country  generally,  for  a  quarter 
of  a  century.  For  months  in  succession  the  ground 
was  covered  with  deep  snow.  In  the  Sliawanese  coun- 
try many  cattle  perished,  and,  in  other  parts,  even 
deer  and  buffaloes  froze  to  death.  Provisions  failed 
everywhere,  and  although  the  converts  obtained  sup- 
plies from  Detroit,  furnished  by  the  government,  these 
proved  insufficient  as  the  spring  advanced,  so  that  they 
were  obliged  to  repair  thither  in  person  and  earn  a 
livelihood  as  best  they  could.  For  some  time  New 
Gnadenhiitten  was  inhabited  by  the  missionaries  only. 

Occasional  visits  from  the  scattered  members  of  the 
Mission  broke  the  monotony  of  this  dreary  period. 
Some  were  still  among  the  Shawanese;  others  had  fol- 
lowed Mark  to  the  Twightwees,  on  the  Maumee.  Mark 
himself,  however,  was  dead.  He  had  been  stricken 
suddenly  by  the  hand  of  God.  A  Delaware  councilor 
succeeded  him  as  the  chief  of  the  Christian  Indians, 
who  still  hesitated  to  join  their  brethren. 

After  harvest,  which  was  a  plenteous  one,  the  converts 
at  New  Gnadenhiitten  began  to  build  a  larger  chapel ;  but 
relinquished  this  work  again  at  the  suggestion  of  Vice- 
Governor  John  Hay,  who  had  succeeded  Major  de 
Peysier  in  the  command  of  Detroit.  There  prevailed, 
he  said,  much  uncertainty  with  regard  to  the  future 
government  of  that  part  of  the  "West,  and  it  was  doubt- 
ful whether  the  Mission  could  remain  in  its  present 
place.    This  warning  was  corroborated  by  a  threatening 


11' 


i,  I 


584 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


message  from  the  Cliippewas,  wlio  suid  tluit  they  had 
given  the  Christian  Indians  a  refuge  merely  until  the 
end  of  the  war.     Under  these  eircumstanees,  Zeisberger 

/tesolved  to  establish  the  Mission  elsewhere  in  spring; 

'.but  when  spring  eame  (1785),  new  complications  arose, 
and  it  was  deemed  best  to  defer  the  projected  removal 
until  autumn.  Of  these  complications  we  must  proceed 
to  give  a  brief  account. 

B}'  the  sixth  article  of  the  definitive  treaty  o\  peace 
between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain,  signed  on 
the  third  of  September,  1783,  the  King  renounced  and 
yielded  "to  the  United  States  all  pretensions  and  claims 
whatever  of  all  the  country  south  and  west  of  the  great 
Northern  Rivers  and  Lakes,  as  far  as  the  Mississippi." 
No  reservation  was  agreed  upon  in  favor  of  the  Indian 
tribes  of  that  vast  territory.  These  were  left  to  make 
their  own  terms  with  the  young  republic.  After  much 
opposition  on  the  part  of  single  States,  Congress  took 
the  administration  of  Indian  affairs  into  its  own  hands, 

]  and  inaugurated  a  series  of  conferences  with  the  natives, 

''.  in  order  to  settle  their  future  relation  to  the  govern- 
ment and  fix  the  boundaries  of  their  hunting-grounds. 
The  first  of  these  treaties  was  held  with  the^ix  Nations 
(October  3d  tc  22d,  1784)  at  Fort  Stanwix,  Oliver  Wol; 
cott,  Richard  Butler,  and  Arthur  Lee_  being  the  corn^ 
missioners. 

During  the  Revolutionary  War,  the  Cayugas  and 
Oneidas  had  been  the  consistent  friends  of  the  Ameri- 
can cause — the  Mohawks,  on  the  contrary,  its  bitter  op- 

i  ponents.     Influenced  by  Johnson,  this  nation  eventually 


DA  VII)   ZEL^UKliGEli. 


58o 


had 

tho 

•gcr 

iiiir; 


emigrated  to  Canada,  aud  their  land  fell  to  the  State  of 
New  York,  although  theFrench  Moha\vJw.s,  uear  St. 
Regis,  who  were  called  Cagnawagas,  claimed  a  part  of 
it.  A  new  line  was  now  run  for  the  Six  Nations.  It 
began  four  miles  east  of  Niagara,  bearing  south  to 
I'ennsylvania,  and  passing  along  the  eastern  boundary 
of  that  State  to  tho  Ohio.  AH  claims  west  of  this  line 
they  relinquished  with  a  bad  grace,  and  merely  from 
necessity.' 

The  second  treaty  took  place  at  Fort  Mcintosh  (Jan- 
uary 21,  1784;  with  the  Wyandots,  Delawares,  Chippe- 
was,  and  Ottawas.  George  Rogers  Clark,  Richard 
Butler,  and  Arthur  Lee  were  the  commissioners^  who 
established  a  line  beginning  at  the  mouth  of  the  Cuya- 
hoga, and  extending  to  the  portage  between  this  river 
aud  the  Tuscarawas,  along  which  it  passed  to  the  cross- 
ing place  above  Fort  Lawrence,  thence  west  to  the  port- 
age of  the  Miami  and  Maumee,  down  the  Maumee  to 
its  mouth,  and  along  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Erie 
to  the  Cuyahoga  again.  Within  these  narrow  limits  the) 
Western  tribes  might  live  and  hunt.^  The  land  was  not 
theirs ;  it  belonged  to  the  United  States ;  they  were 
merely  tolerated.  Hostages  for  the  delivery  of  prisoners 
were  invariably  exacted. 

Congress  was  of  opinion  that  the  treaty  of  peace 
witli  Great  Britain  absolutely  invested  the  United  States 
with  the  fee  of  all  the  Indian  territory  embraced  within 
their  limits,  and  that  the  American  government  had  the 


1  Bntlor's  Journal  in  Craig's  Olden  Time,  ii.  404,  etc. 
»  N.  Y.  Statutes,  vii.  16. 


586 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


i   I- 

/•J 

•J' 


u'  r 


right  to  ussigu,  or  retain,  wliatcver  portions  of  it  should 
bo  judged  jtropcr.'  Such  lui  idoii,  liowevcr,  originated  a 
policy  diti'cront  from  that  of  Colonial  tinu-s,  and  not 
calcuhited  to  bring  about  a  real  pacification  of  the  West. 
In  the  period  of  Jiritish  suprenuicy,  the  natives  never 
alienated  their  land  Avithout  receiving  a  due  equivalent. 
And  it  was  not  to  be  supposed  that  they  would  now,  in 
good  faith,  submit  to  a  principle  so  novel,  and,  as  they 
thought,  so  unjust ;  more  especially  as  the  British  gar- 
risons, which  still  held  the  AVestern  posts,  sustained 
them  in  their  opposition.  A  general  feeling  of  distrust 
prevailed,  and,  throughout  the  spring,  the  question 
of  war  was  agitated.  Even  after  the  policy  of  the 
United  States  had  been  changed,  affairs  continued  in 
this  posture  for  years,  and  finally  produced  that  last 
struggle  of  the  Western  nations  for  the  homes  of  their 
.-fathers  Avhich  cost  the  government  two  armies,  and 
i  drove  Zeisberger,  with  his  Indians,  to  Canada. 

There  being  no  immediate  prospect  of  such  an  en- 
largement of  the  work  as  would  require  the  services 
of  all  the  missionaries,  Jungmann  and  Senseman  re- 
turned to  Bethlehem  (May  17),  whither  Michael  Jung 
had  previously  gone,  leaving  Zeisberger,  Edwards,  and 
Ileckewelder  to  take  sole  charge  of  the  Mission.^ 

Edwards,  soon   after,  visited  Pittsburg,  in  order  to 
iobtain  information  with  regard  to  the  treaties,  the  lands 


'  American  State  Papers,  v.  13. 
(■'     2  Jungmann  retired  from  active  service,  spending  the  rest  of  his  days 
at  Bethlehem,  where  bo  ^ied,  July  17, 1808,  in  the  eighty-ninth  year  of 
•  his  age. 


I 


DAVn>   ZEL'iUERGER. 


687 


that  liad   boon  ('odcd,  and  otlior  i>ointH  of  importance 
concorning  wliich    tlio    niissionurios  roniainod  in  igno- 
rance,    lie  brought    l)acl<  new.s  of  the  treaty  at  Fort 
Mcintosh,    and    of    the    passage    in    Congress   of  "  an  ' 
ordinanet^   for  ascertaining  the    mode   of  disposing  of 
lands   in    the   Western    Territory,"   by  which    a   corps- 
of    surveyors,    one    I'rom    each    State,    under    Thonuia! 
Ilutchins,   (leographer   of  tiie    United    States,  was  in-, 
structed  to  survey  the  hinds  tiiat  luiil  been   ceded  and ; 
to  divide  them  into  townships.     At  the  same  time  he 
delivered  letters  from  Bishop  John  de  Watteville,  who 
had  arrived  at  Bethlehem,  in  the  summer  of  the  previous 
year  (June  2,  1784),  on  im  ollicial  visit  to  the  churches, 
informing   Zeisberger   that   the   ordinance   of  May  re- 
served for  the  Christian  Indians  their  three  towns  on 
the  Tuscarawas,  and  so  much  land  as  the  Geographer 
might  see  fit  to  give.' 


'  In  October,  1783,  Ettwein,  Iluebiicr,  iiiul  Schwoinitz  drew  up  a  me- 
morial, setting  I'orth  the  claims  of  the  C'liristiun  Indians,  which  Ettwein 
hinisolf  t(H)k  to  Princoton,  where  Congress  was  then  in  session.  Ho 
found  this  body  on  the  point  of  adjourning  to  Annapolis,  and  delivered 
the  paper  to  Charles  Thomson,  its  secretary.  It  was  presented  and  re- 
ferred to  a  committee,  which  reported  favorably  (March,  1781).  Inas- 
much, however,  as  no  action  was  taken  on  this  report,  the  Mi.^sion 
Board  sent  a  second  petition,  in  Blay,  as  also  lotter.s  to  the  Pi-esident  and 
Secretary.  But  nothing  was  done  at  that  time.  In  the  following  year, 
when  Congress  was  in  session  at  New  l-ork,  Ettwein  again  appeared  in  ; 
person,  and  now,  at  last,  the  report  was  accepted  and  the  reservation 
made  (Jlay  20,  1785).  The  news  of  this  favorable  issue  was  brought  to 
Ettwein  by  the  Hon.  William  Henry,  of  Lancaster,  a  member  of  Con- 
gress and  ft  Moravian. — Drafts  of  Petitions  am"  Letters,  MSS.  B.  A.; 
Ettwein's  Historical  Statement,  MS.  G.  A. 

Previous  to  the  receipt  of  Watteville's  letter  containing  such  cheering 
information,  Zeisberger  had  received  through  h'lm  (March,  1785)  an 
epistle  from  the  General  Board  of  the  Unita=  JTratrum,  in  Germany, 


588 


LIFE  AXD    TIMES   OF 


•  1 


The  future  now  appeared  plain.  Leaving  New 
Gnadenhiitten  in  autumn,  they  might  pass  tho  winter 
on  tlie  Cuyahoga,  proceed  to  their  old  seats  in  spring, 
and  re-establish  the  Misr-ion  in  the  valley  where  it  had 
so  greatly  prospered.  This  Zeisberger  announced  to 
the  scattered  converts  and  invited  them  to  join  their 
brethren.  But  the  autumn  brought  from  the  Western 
tribes  rumors  of  war,  denunciations  of  the  proposed 
exodus,  and  the  most  violent  menaces,  in  case  it  were 
carried  out.  To  come  forth  from  their  secure  retreat, 
in  the  face  of  all  this,  would  have  been  foolhardiness. 
There  was  no  alternative  but  to  spend  another  winter 
at  New  Gnadenhiitten. 

In  January,  1786,  the  Shawanese  concluded  a  treaty 
with  the  United  States,  at  Fort  Finnev,^  submittins: 
to  the  new  government,  and  accepting  the  same  terms 
which  bad  been  offered  to  the  Ottawas,  Wyandots,  and 
Delawares. 

Major  Ancrum,  the  successor  of  Vice  Governor  Hay, 
believed  this  to  be  a  definitive  treat}',  and  deemed  all 
the  points  in  dispute  between  the  United  States  and  the 
Indian  nations  finally  settled.  His  views  were  honest, 
but  he  wholly  mistook  the  situation.  By  his  advi^u, 
i  the  long-projected  removal  of  the  Mission  was,  accord- 


condoling  with  the  missionaries  in  their  distress  and  protracted  afflio- 

tions,  and  encouraging  them  to  stand  fast  and  endure.     The  original  of 

this  missive,  which  deserves  to  he  called  an  apostolical  epistle,  1  found  at 

Gnadenhiitten,  amoiig  some  old  papers. 

i      1  A  post  estahlished  for  the  occasion  on  the  left  hank  of  the  IVIiami  at 

.  its  junction  with  the  Ohio.    George  Ecgcrs  Clark,  Richard  Butler,  and 

I  Samuel  Parsons  were  the  commissioners  at  this  treatj-. 


I 


/, 


DAVID   ZEISBFAIGER. 


589 


ingly,  undortakcn.  In  conjunction  witli  John  Askin, 
a  niorclumt  of  Detroit,  and  warm  tVicnd  of  tlio  Mission, 
lie  l)ouglit  the  iniprovonicnts  at  Gnadouluitton  for  four 
hundred  dollars,  protesting,  after  a  personal  inspection, 
that  they  excelled  everything  of  the  kind  he  had  seen 
within  the  circalt  of  his  command,  and  that  the  Chris- 
tian Indians  had  done  more  in  three  years  than  the 
French  settlers  in  twenty.  This  purchase  was  an  act  i 
of  real  kindness  to  the  Mission.  At  noon  of  the  ■ 
twciitieth  of  April  the  congregation  cmharkcd  in 
canoes  for  Detroit. 

Richard  Conner  and  his  family  remained  hehind. 
Advanced  in  }cars,  he  could  no  longer  follow  liis  Indian 
l>rcthren  on  their  many  wanderings,  hut  wished  to 
spend  the  remainder  of  his  days  in  the  homestead  which 
he  had  acquired  at  Xcw  Gnadoiihntten.  Ills  family 
was  confirmed  in  its  rights  to  the  "  Conner  Farms," 
hecame  well  known  in  the  Northwest,  and  some  of  his 
descendants  are  still  living  at  Detroit  and  in  Indiana. 
Ancrum  and  Askin  were  less  fortunate.  When  Detroit 
and  its  dependencies  were  occupied  hy  the  United 
States,  the  Commissioners  pronounced  their  title  to  the 
land  illegal,  and  refused  to  ratify  it.  New  Gnadcn- 
hiitten  fell  hack  into  the  hands  of  the  Chippewas,  who 
occupied  it  conjointly  with  Conner.' 


1  Judge  Campbell's  Lecture  ;    Zeisberger's  Journnl. 


Bi 


590 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER    XXXIX. 

ZEISBEROER  ON  THE  CUYAHOGA,  OHIO.— 1786,  1787. 

Askin's  offer  to  convey  the  Indians  in  sloops  aci-oss  Lake  Eric. — Their 
character  at  Detroit. — Fearful  gales. — The  vessels  at  anchor  for  four 
weeks. — Breaking  up  of  the  expedition. — Journey  by  land,  and 
encampment  on  the  present  site  of  Cleveland  — The  converts  settle 
on  the  Cuyahoga. — Flour  depot  at  the  lake. — Visits  from  traders. 
— Zeisberger's  unsuccessful  attempt  to  reclaim  the  scattered  con- 
verts.— Tiio  speech  sent  them  by  the  missionaries. — Conversation 
between  two  brothers,  u  Christian  and  an  apostate. — Zeisberger's 
illness. — Council  of  the  Western  tribes,  and  their  proposals  to  Con- 
gress.— Change  of  the  Indian  policy. — Zeisberger's  correspondence 
with  General  Butler  touching  a  removal  to  the  Tuscarawas. — Such  a 
removal  postponed,  but  the  Mission  on  the  Cuyahoga  given  up. 


The  Indians  encamped  in  the  government  ship-yard, 
where  they  were  welcomed  by  John  Askin,  who  offered 
to  convey  them  to  the  Cuyahoga  in  vessels  across  Lake 
Erie.      This   offer   Zeisbcrger  eagerly  accepted.      Two 
sloops,  the  Beaver,  Captain  Godrey,  and  the  31ackinaw, 
Captain  Anderson,  belonging  to  the  Northwest  Com- 
pany at  Michilimakinac,  of  which  Askin  was  a  partner, 
having  been  fitted  out,  the  congregation  embarked  at 
noon  of  the  twenty-eighth  of  April. 
I     Detroit  was  loath  to  see  them  go.     In  all  their  inter- 
i  course    with    its    inhabitants    they   had   sustained    the 
,  reputation  of  the  Mission,  dealing  honestly,  and  pay- 
ing their  debts,  which,  at  the  time  of  their  departure, 
'amounted  to  hundreds  of  pounds  sterling,  with  scrupu- 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


591 


lous  exactness.  The  town  could  not  but  acknowletlge 
the  great  difference  between  these  natives  and  all  the 
others,  whether  heathens  or  Romanists,  who  had,  for 
generations,  been  coming  to  its  trading  depots  and 
gathering  in  its  council-house. 

In  the  evening  of  the  twenty-ninth,  the  sloops 
anchored  in  six  fathoms  of  water,  between  Van  Rens- 
ealaer  and  Bass  Islands.  That  night  a  succession  of 
easterly  gales  began,  unprecedented  in  the  experience 
of  the  oldest  sailor  on  the  lake.  For  four  weeks, 
varied  only  by  one  unsuccessful  attempt  to  make  head- 
way against  the  storm,  the  Indians  were  forced  to  in- 
habit these  islands,  living  on  fish,  ducks,  wild  pigeons, 
and  raccoons.  The  missionaries  remained  aboard  the 
vcsssels,  whose  anchorage  had  to  be  repeatedly  shifted, 
until  a  deep  harbor,  which  received  the  name  of  Hope's 
Cove,  was  found  on  Bass  Islai'd,  where  the  sloops  were 
moored  close  by  the  shore  and  fastened  with  cables  to 
trees.  The  island  itself  abounded  in  beautiful  red 
cedars  and  ginseng,  but  was  infested  with  a  multitude 
of  rattlesnakes. 

Toward  the  end  of  May,  Askin  sent  a  pilot-boat  to 
look  after  the  expedition,  and  to  order  back  the  Beaver. 
The  Indians,  accordingly,  disembarked  at  Rocky  Point,* 
and  formed  two  divisions — the  one  with  Zeisberger  pro- 
ceeding by  land ;  the  other,  in  charge  of  Ileckewelder, 
coasting  along  the  southern  shore  in  canoes;  while  Ed- 


»  Tho  promontory  at  Scott's  Point,  or  Ottawa  City,  iu  Ottawa  County 
Ohio. 


i'   1 


:.'.'? 


M''    . 


i  ! 


1 1 


:i'i> 


yw ' 


i 


n 


592 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


wards,  with  the  household  goods,  sailed  for  the  Cuya- 
hoga in  the  Mackinaw. 

Zeisbcrger's  party  were  all  afoot,  and  all  had  packs 
to  carry.  There  was  no  trail.  With  Samuel  JTan- 
tieokc  foi  a  guide,  they  plunged  through  the  wilder- 
ness, as  far  as  Sandusky.  There  they  hired  canoes 
of  Ottawa  Indians,  and  crossed  the  waters  of  the  hay. 
Having  celebrated  Whitsuntide  on  the  eastern  bank 
of  the  Pettquotting  Creek,*  they  resumed  their  march, 
meeting  numerous  hunting-  and  fishing-parties,  and 
being  joined,  occasionally,  at  night,  by  Ileckewelder's 
division.  They  were  unable  to  procure  a  horse  for 
Mrs.  Zeisbergor,  until  within  two  days'  travel  of  the 
Cuyahoga,  which  river  they  reached  on  the  eighth  of 
June,  and  pitched  their  camp  where  the  city  of  Cleve- 
land now  stands  in  all  the  beauty  of  its  shady  ave- 
nues. Both  the  Mackinaw  and  Ileckewelder's  party 
had  arrived  before  them. 

As  their  stores  were  nearl}'  exhair>ted,  and  game  was 
scarce,  Schebosh  proceeded  to  Pittsburg  to  buy  pro- 
visions, while  Zeisberger  explored  the  river.  He  found 
the  'lanks  covered  with  a  dense  forest,  offering  no  place 
for  a  settlement;  but  toward  the  end  of  the  second 
day,  a  clearing  came  into  view,  a  lofty  plateau,  the  site 
of  a  former  Ottawa  village.  Here  the  Indiums  began  to 
erect  huts  and  plant  corn,  v/ith  the  intention  of  proceed- 
ing to  the  Tuscarawas  after  harvest.  By  the  end  of 
June,  they  were  housed  as   comfortably  as   could  be 


1  Tho  Huron  River. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


593 


expected.  A  chapel  was  subsequently  built,  and  dedi- 
cated on  the  tenth  of  November.'  Meantime  Schebosh 
had  returned,  with  an  order  from  Duncan  and  Wilson, 
good  friends  of  the  Mission,  directed  to  their  agents  on 
the  lake,  to  sell  Zeisberger  provisions  to  any  amount. 
These  agents  had  charge  of  a  depot  of  flour,  forwarded 
from  Pittsburg  by  long  trains  of  pack-horses.  The 
chase,  too,  grew  more  successful,  yielding  elks  in  par- 
ticular. Moreover,  a  large  (quantity  of  goods,  dispatched 
three  years  before  by  the  Church  at  Bethlehem,  at  last 
arrived,  —  so  that  all  danger  of  famine  was  removed. 
A  connection  with  Pittsburg  was  kept  up  by  frequent 
visits  from  traders.  Among  these  were  Isaac  Williams 
and  Duncan,  who  united  in  assuring  Zeisberger  that  the 
binderances  which  had  prevented  the  immediate  return 
of  the  Mission  to  the  Tuscarawas  were  providential, 
amid  the  existing  troubles  in  the  Indian  country.  Any 
attempt  to  resuscitate  the  work  in  its  old  field  would 
have  led  to  misery  and  bloodshed. 

The  scattered  converts  caused  Zeisberger  many  anx- 
ious thoughts.  He  longed  to  reclaim  them,  and  prayed 
for  their  speedy  coming ;  but  they  continued  recreant. 
One  day,  Samuel  Nauticoke,  while  boiling  salt  at  the 
springs  of  the  Pettquotting,  met  a  party  of  them,  among 
whom  was  Anthony,  once  a  faithful  Christian,  now 
decked  in  the  trappings  of  a  warrior,  which,  as  he  said 


•  The  Indi:  •  3  gave  no  name  to  their  new  village,  but  Loskicl  calls  it 
Pi/grerrMATor  Pilgrims'  Kest.  It  was  situated  on  the  enstorn  bank  of 
the  river,  in  Independence  Tovnship,  Cuyahoga  County,  probably  not 
far  from  the  northern  line  of  that  township. 

38 


594 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


himself,  were  an  evidence  of  the  apostasy  of  his  heart. 
Having  lost  all  his  children,  and  nearly  all  his  other 
kin,  at  Gnadenhutten,  he  had  cast  away  both  his  faith 
in  God  and  trust  in  man,  and  accused  the  missionaries 
of  being  the  instigators  of  the  massacre.  Samuel  suc- 
ceeded, with  much  difficulty,  in  convincing  him  of  his 
error.  At  last  he  said:  "I  will  come  to  greet  our 
teachers.  You  may  tell  them  my  suspicions  with 
regard  to  them."  Zeisberger's  inmost  soul  was  moved 
with  pity  when  he  heard  of  this  conversation,  and, 
summoning  the  national  as"'stants,  he  suggested  the 
propriety  of  sending  a  deputation  to  the  scattered 
converts,  and  inviting  them  to  a  conference.  Samuel 
and  Thomas  undertook  this  mission,  and  set  out,  in 
September,  bearing  the  following  speech  from  the  mis- 
sionaries : 

To  ALL  OUR  SCATTERED  BRETHREN,  THIS  OUR.  SALUTATION  : 

Wo  have  not  forgotten  you.  Wo  think  of  you  constantly,  and  wish 
that  you  could  again  ho  in  fellowship  with  us,  believing  that  you,  on 
your  part,  have  not  forgotten  the  Word  of  God  which  wo  have  taught 
you.  Hence  wo  desire  to  know  your  mind  as  to  how  you  may  again  be 
brought  to  hear  this  Word  and  expcrienco  its  divine  influences.  To 
this  end,  wo  invite  some  of  your  understanding  men  to  visit  us,  that 
we  may  consult  with  thorn.  Do  not  cast  away  your  confidence,  or  give 
up  your  hope;  do  not  imagine  that  this  efl'ort  to  reclaim  you  will  be  in 
vain,  that  you  have  strayed  too  far  away,  and  sinned  too  grievously, 
to  be  gathered  again  as  a  congregation  of  the  Lord.  Do  not  say, 
"The  Saviour  and  the  Brethren  have  cast  us  off!"  Take  courage. 
Turn  to  the  Saviour,  who  is  merciful  and  gracious,  full  of  compassion 
and  truth,  and  who  will  forgivo  your  sins.  As  for  us,  wo  do  not  seek 
an  opportunity  to  reprove  you.  Wo  ask  you  to  h  <ld  a  conference  with 
us,  that  wo  may,  together,  determine  how  to  relievo  you  from  your 
present  unhappy  mode  of  life,  and  to  bring  you  back  to  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  whoso  biood  was  shed  for  the  worst  of  sinners. 

In  a  month's  time  the  deputies  returned.    They  had 


)  , 


•  < 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


595 


! 


been  kindly  welcomed  by  those  who  lived  in  the  Shaw- 
anese  towns,  hut  their  mission  was  unsuccessl'ul.  Some, 
indeed,  expressed  ii  wish  to  rejoin  the  Church;  others 
avowed  thiit  nothinof  could  induce  them  ever  iiffain  to 
cast  in  their  lot  with  Christians.  The  massacre,  perpe- 
trated by  Christians,  had  completely  extinf-o.ished  their 
faith.  The  remnant  on  the  Miami  did  not  even  notice 
the  urgent  message  sent  by  Samuel,  whom  a  severe 
illness  prevented  from  visiting  them  in  person.  They 
were  fast  relapsing  into  heathenism,  to  the  joy  of  the 


savages. 


Perhaps  the  wide  contrast  between  the  spirit  which 
animated  the  apostates  and  that  which  filled  the  taithful 
ones,  cannot  better  be  shown  than  by  a  conversation 
that  Samuel  had  with  his  own  brother.  "  By  the  waters 
of  the  Tuscarawas,"  said  the  latter,  "the  whites  gained 
the  end  for  which  they  strove  so  long.  There  lie  all  our 
many  murdered  friends.  I  avoid  the  whites  and  flee 
from  them.  No  man  shall  induce  me  to  trust  them 
again.  Never,  while  I  live,  will  I  reunite  with  you 
Christians.  If  your  town  were  near,  I  might,  perhaps, 
visit  you  ;  but  that  would  be  all.  Our  forefathers  went 
to  the  devil,  as  you  say,  and  where  they  are  I  am 
content  hereafter  to  be."  To  Avhich  Samuel  replied : 
"I  have  heard  your  views.  Hear  mine.  Nothing  shall 
bring  me  from  the  Saviour  and  His  Church — nothing 
while  I  live;  neither  tribulation,  nor  distress,  nor  perse- 
cution, nor  famine,  nor  nakedness,  nor  peril,  nor  sword. 
None  of  these  things  move  me.  To  be  in  communion 
with  Jesus  Christ  and  save  my  soul  is  all  I  want.     And, 


f^. 


.  J-f..'> 


y 


1.4-m- 


«K«4iNti>nr.«M  «< 


596 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


I    'I 


1 1 


>  i ! ; 


k. 


I M 


■U 


V 


X 


while  I  abide  in  Him,  my  salvation  is  certain.  It  can- 
not be  taken  from  me." 

While  these  fruitless  ne^^-otiations  were  progressing, 
Zeisberger  fell  ill,  in  consequence  of  the  hard  work 
which  he  had  done,  with  his  own  hands,  in  order  not  to 
be  a  burden  to  the  Mission  Board.  When  this  became 
known  to  its  members,  they  united  in  a  fraternal  remon- 
strance, begging  him  to  draw  on  them  whenever  he 
needed  assistance.  "  It  is  our  earnest  desire,"  they 
wrote,  "  to  make  the  declining  years  of  your  life  easy 
in  every  way  within  our  power,  so  that  you  may  con- 
tinue to  nurse  and  minister  to  the  remnant  of  God's 
people  among  the  Indians  ;  and  that  He  may  be  pleased 
to  use  you  longer  in  this  field  is  our  unceasing  prayer."' 
At  such  a  time,  it  was  particularly  unfortunate  that 
Ileckewelder  was  obliged  to  leave  the  Mission,  owing 
to  the  ill  health  of  his  wife.  They  returned  to  Bethle- 
hem (October  9),  so  that  Zeisberger  and  his  ever-faithful 
jfriend,  Edwards,  were  left  alone. 

'  In  November,  at  the  instance  of  Brant,  a  confedera- 
tion of  Western  tribes  held  a  grand  council  in  the 
Huron  village,  opposite  Detroit  (November  28  to  De- 
cember 18,  1786).  The  Six  Nations,  Wyandots,  Dela- 
wares,  Shawanese,  Ottawas,  Chippewas,  Potawatomies, 
Twightwees,  Cherokees,  and  the  Wabash  Confederates 
■were  represented,  and  conjcincly  issued  a  missive  to 
Congress,  which  expressed  their  desire  for  peace,  but 
insisted  that  "  all  treaties  carried  on  with  the  United 
States  should  be  with  the  general  voice  of  the  whole 

1  Ettwein's  letter  to  Zeisberger.     MS.  B.  A. 


DAVID   ZEISBRRGER. 


SO. 


Corfedcracy,"  attributing  to  tlie  separate  conferences 
the  Tuany  mischievous  consequences  that  had  hitely 
become  apparent,  and  proposing  a  new  treaty  in  the 
following  year.  These  overtures  were  well  received  by 
Congress,  and  led  to  a  change  of  its  Indian  policy.  The 
aborigines  were  recognized  as  the  rightful  owners  of  the 
soil,  and  an  appropriation  was  voted  to  purchase  their  | 
claims  to  such  lands  as  they  had  already  ceded  to  the 
States. 

The  favorable  report  which  ho  received  of  this 
Council,  induced  Zeisherger  to  consider  the  propriety 
of  returning  to  the  Tuscarawas.  This  report  was 
brought  by  a  vile  fellow,  named  Mamasu,  Avho  had 
taken  part  in  the  raid  on  +he  Mission  and  had  made 
several  attempts  to  murder  the  missionaries,  but  who 
now  came,  humbled  and  repentant,  asking  to  be  ac- 
cepted as  a  candidate  for  baptism.  Addressing  a  letter 
to  General  Richard  Butler,  Superintendent  of  Indian 
Affairs  for  the  Northern  District,  Zeisherger  asked 
his  advice  touching  a  return  to  the  Tuscarawas  valley. 
Butier  dissuaded  him ;  but  a  communication  from 
the  Mission  Board,  received  simultaneously  with  the 
General's  answer,  urged  him  to  take  tliis  step,  and  a 
written  "speech"  from  Lieutenant-Colonel  Ilarmar, 
inclosing  the  resolution  adopted  by  Congress  in  favor 
of  the  Christian  Indians,  and  announcing  a  grant  of 
five  hundred  bushels  of  corn,  one  hundred  blankets, 
twenty  axe?,  and  twenty  hoes,  appearcd  to  open  the 
way  and  render  it  safe.*     This  speech  ran  as  follows: 


\  ■ 


'  The  resolution  of  Congress  was  the  following : 

"By  the   United   States  in   Congress  assembled,  August  24,  1786: 


^' 

1 

1 

: 

I 

if 

; 

1 
it 

! 

■ 

; 

i>:il 


1' 


i 


i^l 


598 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


Ft.  Harmar,  at  the  mouth  of  thk  Muskikqum. 
Duccmbcr  (i,  1780. 
Brothers  1 

Tlio  Honorable  Congress  liavo  boon  ploasod  to  pass  the  enclosed  re- 
solve in  your  favor.  1  bnve  direoteJ  tliat  the  corn  and  otber  articles 
shall  bo  sent  down  to  this  post,  wlnro  they  will  be  ready  to  be  delivered 
to  you.  Ill  obedience  to  the  orders  of  Congress,  I  have  to  inform  you 
that  tliat  honoriible  body  are  well  pleased  to  hear  of  your  arrival,  and 
have  granted  you  permission  to  return  to  your  former  settlements  on 
the  ^luslviiiguin,  where  you  may  be  assured  of  the  friendship  and  jirotec- 
tion  of  the  United  States. 

I  should  wish  to  know  the  names  of  the  principal  men  who  have  the 
direction  of  your  atlairs,  and  shall  bo  hajijiy  in  rendering  you  every 
assistance  in  my  power.  I  am.  Brothers,  your  friend, 

Jcs.  Harmar, 
Lt.-Col.  Com'd.  of  the  troops  in  the  service  of  the  U.  S. 
To  Tui:  Moravian  Indians  at  or  near  Cuyahoqa. 

Zeisbei'ger  determined  to  disi-egard  the  advice  of 
Butler  and  carry  out  tlie  wishes  of  iiis  Board.  But  a 
secoud  message  from  the  General,  sent  by  Duncan 
and  Wilson,  assured  him  that  this  would  be  madness, 
in  the  face  of  the  settled  opposition  which  the  Indian 
tribes  of  every  name  manifested  to  the  project.  This 
warning   was,   soon    after,  corroborated    by   the    most 


Resolved,  that  the  Secretary  at  War  give  orders  to  Lt.-Col.  Harmar  that 
he  signify  to  the  Moravian  Indians,  lately  come  from  the  Kivcr  Huron 
to  Cuyahoga,  that  it  aflbrds  pleasure  to  Congress  to  hcnr  of  their  arrival, 
and  that  they  have  permission  to  return  to  their  former  settlement  on  the 
Muskingum,  whore  they  may  bo  assured  of  the  friendship  and  protection 
of  the  United  States ;  and  that  Lt.-Col.  Harmar  supply  the  said 
Indians,  after  their  arrival  at  Muskingum,  with  a  quantity  of  Indian 
corn,  not  excccdijig  live  hundred  bushels,  out  of  the  public  stores  on  the 
Ohio,  and  deliver  the  same  to  them  at  Fort  Mcintosh  as  soon  after  next 
Christmas  as  the  same  may  bo  procured;  and  that  ho  furnish  the  said 
Indians  with  twenty  Indian  axes,  twenty  corn-hoes,  and  one  hundred 
blankets ;  and  that  the  Board  of  Treasury  and  Secretary  at  War  take 
order  to  carry  the  above  into  effect."  -Certified  Copy  of  the  Resolution, 
signed  by  Chas.  Thornsov,  Secretary  of  Congress.     MS.  B.  A. 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


699 


violent  menaces  from  the  savages  themselves.  Hence 
Zeisbcrger  was  reluctantly  constrained  again  to  post- 
pone the  return  of  the  Mission  to  its  old  seats.  He 
proposed,  however,  that  it  should  he  transferred  from 
the  Cuyahoga  to  some  more  favorable  site,  near  the 
Pcttquotting.  To  this  the  Indians  agreed,  and  began 
immediate  preparations  for  their  journey.  In  the  midat 
of  these,  came  a  letter  from  Ileckewelder,  announcing 
his  arrival  in  Pittsburg,  with  Michael  Jung  and  J:hn 
Wei^-and,  who  were  to  bo  assistants  in  the  work  of  the 
Mission. 

Sending  a  few  Indians  to  escort  them  to  Pilgerruh, 
and  leaving  Schebosh  with  several  families  to  receive 
them,  Zeisberger,  on  the  nineteenth  of  April,  set  out 
with  the  rest  to  seek  a  new  home.  In  the  language 
of  the  natives,  Pilgerruh  had  been  but^a  "a  nighty 
lodge."* 


Aplace  inhajbited.  for  one  year. 


600 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER    XL. 


ZEISBERGEU  FOUNDS  NEW  SALEM  ON  TUB  PETTQUOTTINO.— 

1787-1789. 


II I  i 


% 


n 


II -f 


The  valley  of  the  Black  Kivcr  selected  ns  the  new  site  of  the  Mission. 
—  Interference  of  Dolinvaro  iinil  Wyandot  chiefs.  —  The  Christian 
Indians  yield  at  Qrst,  but  afterward  stand  their  ground. — New 
Salem  founded.  —  Great  prosjjerity  of  the  town  and  Mission. — A 
revival  and  numerous  baptisms. — Death  of  John  Joseph  Schehosh. — 
The  Convention  of  1787  and  the  Continental  Congress. — Ordinance 
for  the  government  of  the  Northwest  Territory. — Sales  of  Western 
land,  and  first  white  settlements  in  Ohio. — The  reservation  in  the 
Tuscarawa.'  .alley.  —  Organization  of  the  Society  of  the  United 
Brethren  for  Propagating  the  Gospel  among  the  Heathen. — John 
Heckcwolder  appointed  its  agent. — Unsuccessful  attempt  to  survey 
the  reservation. — Treaty  of  Fort  Harmar. — George  Washington  in- 
augurated President  of  the  United  States. — Visit  of  the  head  chief 
of  the  Chippewas  to  New  Salem. — His  ofter  to  receive  the  Christian 
Indians  into  a  peace  confederation  accepted. — Second  futile  effort  to 
survey  the  Tuscarawas  tract. 

Several  of  the  converts  had  been  sent  in  advance  to 
prospect  for  a  settlement.  Directed  to  the  fruitful 
valley  of  the  Black  River,  by  a  party  of  Ottawas, 
they  found  a  delightful  spot,  about  five  miles  from 
the  lake,  in  Lorain  County,  which,  on  the  arrival 
of  the  rest,  was  ficcepted  by  all  as  the  new  site  of 
the  Mission.  But,  in  a  few  days,  Titawachkam,  a 
Mcnsey  captain,  made  his  appearance,  and,  in  the 
name  of  Pipe,  the  Half  King,  and  Welendawecken, 


DAVID   ZEISBERGER. 


601 


of  Gigeyunk/  who  stood  at  the  head  of  the  Dchiwaro 
war  faction,  forbade  them  to  settle  there.  Tliey  must 
come  to  the  Sandusky,  ho  continued,  where  the  Half 
King  would  give  them  land  between  the  Lower  Wyan- 
dot and  the  Monsey  towns,  l)ut  at  such  a  distance  from 
both  that  they  could  live  and  worship  God  in  peace. 
To  Zeisberger  he  brought  a  special  message:  "Listen, 
my  friend,"  it  ran;  "you  are  my  grandfather.  I  am 
not  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  our  chici's  received  you 
into  our  nation.  Therefore  no  harm  shall  befall  you. 
You  need  not  fear  to  come  to  Sandusky." 

Amid  the  plots  and  counterplots  of  Indian  diplomacy, 
it  is  hard  to  understand  to  what  this  ill-timed  interfer- 
ence was  owing.  Pipe  no  longer  opposed,  but  was 
rather  inclined  to  favor  the  Mission.  He  had,  more 
than  once,  expressed  his  regret  at  the  part  he  had  taken 
in  removing  it  from  the  Tuscarawas.  Indeed,  the  fre- 
quent reproaches  of  the  Unamis  and  Unalachtgos  had 
made  the  Monseys,  as  a  tribe,  ashamed  of  that  measure. 
Even  Pomoacan  had  become  tolerant.  Perhaps  tlie 
instigator  was  Luke,  a  renegade  Christian.  He  had 
left  Pilgerruh,  and  was  making  common  cause  with 
Titawachkam,  who  aspired  to  a  chieftaincy,  and  hoped 
to  swell  the  number  of  his  clan  by  incorporating  with 
it  the  Moravian  Indians. 

But,  whatever  the  origin  of  the  mandate,  both  Zeis- 
berger and  the  national  assistants  deemed  it  best  to 
yield.      They  foresaw  far  greater  annoyances  in  case 


t  1 


Fort  Wayne,  Indiana. 


w 


li 


ii:  S;  i 


W.m 


'1 

IB  II 


^iir 


1  i-i  .11 


!  !i 


ii 
III 


602 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


they  resisted,  and  constant  attempts  to  seduce  their 
Indians.  And  although  even  a  tacit  concession  that 
these  three  chiefs,  or  any  chiefs,  had  authority  over 
them,  was  very  distasteful,  and  although  this  claim  of 
authority  was  ridiculous  in  a  land  which  the  Indians 
had  just  alienated  to  the  United  States,  and  where  the 
Delawares  lived  merely  on  sufferance,  yet  the  converts 
took  comfort  from  the  thought  that  it  might  he  God's 
will,  hy  bringing  the  Mission  into  closer  connection 
witli  the  heathens,  to  make  it  a  power  again  among  the 
Western  tribes. 

Accordingly  when  Jung  and  Weigand'  had  joined 
;them,  the  Christian  Indiana  broke  up  their  encampment, 
land  continued  their  journey  in  several  divisions.     Zeis- 
I  berger  and  his  party  were  the  first  to  reach  the  Huron 
I  River,  at  whose  mouth  lived  a  French  trader.  Monsieur 
iHuno,  who  gave  them  a  cordial  welcome.     There  they 
learned  from  one  of  the  scattered  converts,  whom  they 
chanced  to   meet,  that  they  had  been  deceived, — that 
the  place  set  apart  for  the  Mission  was  so  near  to  the 
Monsey  town  as  to  subject  them  to  unceasing  disturb- 
ances.    The  rest  of  the  missionaries  and  Indians  having 
come   up,  this  intelligence   called  forth   a  unanimous 
determination  to  proceed  no  farther,  but  to  settle  on 
the  Huron  and  brave  the  anger  of  the  chiefs.     These, 
however,  attempted  no  new  interference. 

A  few  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  on  its 
eastern  bank,  where  they  found  some  old  plantations. 


•  Wcigand  returned  to  Bethlehem  after  the  lapse  of  a  few  weeks,  as 
his  services  were  not  required. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


603 


the  converts  began  to  build  u  town,  wbicli  is  known  as 
New  Salem.'  By  the  sixtli  of  June,  a  chapel  was 
erected,  and  on  the  ninth  the  Lord's  Supper  was  admin- 
istered for  the  first  time.  In  the  preparatory  agapaj,  a 
farewell  letter  from  the  venerable  Bishop  dc  Watteville 
was  communicated,  who  sent  his  blessing  to  tiie  Indian 
church,  on  the  eve  of  his  return  to  Europe.^ 

New  Salem,  like  Gnadenhiitten  of  old  among  the 
Lehigh  Hills,  and  Fricdenshiitten  on  the  Susquehanna, 
and  the  villages  of  tbe  Tuscarawas  valley,  grew  to  be  a 
thriving  town,  and  a  center  of  Christianity,  whose  light 
beamed  over  the  Indian  country. 

God  laid  a  blessing  upon  its  industrial  pursuits.  The 
products  of  the  wilderness  and  the  crops  of  the  fields 
combined  to  fill  the  measure  of  its  plenty.  From  the 
beach  of  Lake  Erie  the  Indians  gathered  turtle-eggs  by 
the  thousand ;  from  the  forests,  large  quantities  of  wild 
grapes  and  nuts ;  and  from  the  plantations,  rich  bar-  ' 
vests  of  corn.  Their  cattle,  too,  increased  until  they 
had  herds  almost  as  large  as  those  which  filled  the 
meadows  of  tlie  Tuscarawas. 

The  spiritual  state  of  the  Mission  was  still  more 
encourag.iig.  Not  only  did  the  members  walk  with 
God  and  adorn  their  profession,  but  the  Gospel  once 
more  began  to  be  a  power  among  the  heathens.     At 


1  New  Siilom  was  probiibly  in  the  vicinity  of  Milun,  in  Milan  Town-'j 
ship,  Eric  County  Ohio.  It  did  not  receive  its  name  from  Zcisberger,  ^ 
but  from  Loskiel,  who  was  at  that  time  completing  his  History  of  tha\ 
Mission. 

2  Ho  left  Bethlehem  June  4th,  nd  arrived  at  Hcrrnhut  September 
13th. 


ill, 


!i;i'  J|| 


r-,  r 


^ 


I 


imw 


/  ■ 
\ 


604 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


New  Guadenhiitten  and  Pilgerruh  scarcely  any  bap- 
tisms had  taken  place.  Now,  however,  Indians  from 
different  parts,  Dolawares,  Chippewas,  Ottawas,  and, 
occasionally,  Wyandots,  flocked  together  to  l>oar  the 
Word  of  God.  Of  these  a  large  number  joined  the 
Church.  A  revival  began,  genuine  and  deep,  as  in 
former  times.  Nothing  like  it  had  been  known  since 
the  abduction  from  the  Tuscarawas;  and  nothing  like 
it  occurred  again  in  all  the  subsequent  history  of  the 
Mission.  There  were  other  seasons  of  prosperity,  but 
they  could  not  be  compared  with  this.  The  palmiest 
days  of  the  Mission  came  back  again.  The  Western 
wilderness  rang  anew  with  the  fame  of  its  apostle,  and 
the  village  of  the  Christians  was  once  more  the  rock  to 
which  the  heathen  came  thirsting  for  the  waters  of  15 {'o. 
Amid  such  experiences  Zeisberger  grew  young  ,;giiiii 
His  afl3.ictions  were  forgotten.  Sustained  by  Edwards 
and  Jung,  and  zealously  aided  by  the  national  assistants, 
he  labored  with  joy  and  thankfulness.  The  work  con- 
tinually increased.  In  the  summer  of  1788,  hardly  a 
day  passed  which  did  not  witness  heathen  Indians 
visiting  the  Mission  to  hear  of  Christ;  and  f'metimes 
the  town  was  crowded  with  them.  Among  the  most 
distinguished  baptisms,  in  this  period,  were  those  of 
Mamasu,  who  received  the  name  of  Jeremiah ;  of 
Gegeshamind,  a  notorious  sorcerer,  who  was  called 
Boaz ;  and  of  Gelelemend,  whose  career,  as  the  chief 
of  the  Delaware  nation,  fills  an  important  page  of 
American  history.  He  was  named  William  Henry,  at 
his  own  request,  after  Judge  Henry,  the  Congressman. 


K 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


605 


In  the  midst  of  these  triuniplis  of  the  Gospel,  the 
Mission  sustained  a  heavy  loss,  hy  the  death  of  John 
Joseph  Sehehosh,  or,  more  properly,  John  Bull,  aged 
sixty-eight  years  (Septenihor  4,  1788).  Identified  with 
its  history  from  its  very  inception,  lahoring  for  its 
welfare  with  untiring  zeal,  his  name  will  he  illustrious 
while  men  rehearse  the  works  of  faith  which  are  done 
in  God.  "He  was  always  ready,"  writes  Zeisherger, 
"  to  serve  his  fellow-uicn,  whether  whites  or  Indians. 
He  bore  his  cro^;s  with  patience.  He  seldom  knew  of 
eas}'  days  or  the  con.forts  of  life,  hut  he  never  com- 
plained, not  even  when  suffering  the  severest  hardships 
and  enduring  dire  famine.  He  loved  his  neighbors  and 
his  neighbors  loved  him.  Of  this  his  last  illness  was  an 
evidence.  The  Indians  vied  one  with  another  in  minis- 
tering to  his  wants,  and  watched  at  his  bedside,  singing 
hymns.  He  will  be  missed  among  us.  But  his  labors 
of  love  will  remain  in  blessed  memory.  lie  is  at  rest, 
in  peace  and  happiness.  We  rejoice  over  his  lot,  but 
weep  that  he  is  gone."  ' 

A  convention  was  called  at  Philadelphia,  in  the 
spring  of  1787,  to  revise  the  articles  of  confederation 
which  proved  insufficient  as  a  basis  for  the  union  of 
the  States.  Meantime  the  Continental  Congress  con- 
tinued its  work,  and  adopted  measures  of  import- 
ance, which  gave  a  mighty  impetus  to  the  devel- 
opment of  the  country.     On  the  eleventh  of  July,  the 

1  Schcbosh's  Indian  wife,  Christiana,  died  the  year  before,  after  a 
union  with  him  of  fortj'-one  years.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  there  re- 
mained, among  the  Christian  Indians,  one  daughter  with  two  children. 


i 


:  H  H 


Hi  ■) 


i  .  i 


I 

lillil 


v. 


\j 


y 


606 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


celebrated  "ordinance  for  the  Government  of  the  Terri- 
tory of  the  United  States  North'vest  of  the  Ohio"  was 
reported,  and,  on  the  thirteenth,  passed  by  tlie  unani- 
mous vote  of  the  oiglit  States  represented.'  Tiiis 
ordinance  l)rou£jht  the  blessin'^s  of  civil  and  relifrious 
liberty  to  the  West,  and  opened  the  way  for  that  galaxy 
of  new  States  which  now  shine  with  such  luster.  In 
the  same  month  (July  23),  a  contract  was  entered  into 
with  an  association  of  New  Englanders,  styling  them- 
selves the  "  Oliio  Company,"  for  the  sale  of  a  tnict  of 
five  millions  of  acres,  extending  along  the  Ohio  from 
the  Muskingum  to  the  Scioto ;  and,  subsequently,  a 
similar  contract  was  made  with  John  Cleves  Symmes, 
of  New  Jersey,  for  the  sale  of  a  tract  of  two  millions 
of  acres  between  the  Great  and  Little  Miamis.^  And 
as  the  Mission  could  not,  for  the  present,  return  to  the 
Tuscarawas,  Congress  enacted  (July  27),  "that  the 
property  of  ten  thousand  acres,  adjoining  to  the  former 
settlements  of  the  Christian  Indians,  should  be  vested 
in  the  Moravian  Brethren  of  Pennsylvania,  or  a  society' 
of  said  Brethren  for  civilizing  the  Indians  and  promoting 
Christianity,  in  trust  and  for  the  uses  expressed  in  the 
ordinance  of  May  20,  1785,  including  Killbuck  (Gelele- 
mend)  and  his  descendants,  and  the  nephew  and 
descendants  of  the  late  Captain  White  Eyes,  Delaware 
chiefs,  who  have  distinguished  themselves  as  friends  of 
the  cause  of  America.''  Before  adjourning,  Congress 
appointed  its  President,  Arthur  St.  Clair,  to  be  Gov- 
ernor of  the  new  territory. 


1  Hildreth's  History  of  the  United  States,  iii.  527,  etc.      ^  Ibid.,  iii.  529. 


i   I 


DA  VID  ZEISBERGEK. 


607 


It  was  not  long  before  settlements  grew  up  within  its 
broad  area.  A  colony  came  from  Massachusetts  (April 
7th,  1788)  to  the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum,  led  by  Gen- 
oral  Rufus  Putnam,  and  founded  the  town  of  Marietta, 
the  first  white  settlement  in  Ohio.  It  lay  near  Fort 
Harmar.'  Governor  St.  Clair  arriving  in  July,  a  code 
for  the  Territory  was  published,  and  the  district  around 
the  fort  erected  into  the  County  of  Washiiigtcjn.  Soon 
after  this  three  more  settlements  were  formed  on 
Symmes's  grant,  namely,  Columbia,  Fort  Washington, 
now  Cincinnati,  and  at  Great  Bend,  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Miami.^ 

Kot  less  active  was  the  Mission  Board  of  the  Atora- 
vian  Church.  The  Board  of  Treasury,  which  had  been 
empowered  to  treat  with  its  representatives,  touching 
the  grant  in  the  Tuscarawas  valley,  resolved  "  that  each 
of  the  three  towns  should  have  allotted  four  thousand 
acres  of  land,  and  that  each  tract  might  be  surveyed  in 
an  oblong  square,  twice  as  long  as  broad;  and  that  a 
free  deed,  without  any  expense,  should  be  given  to  the 
Society."^  In  September,  1787,  a  warrant  was  granted 
to  survey  the  tracts;  and,  on  the  twenty-first  of  the 
same  month,  "  The  Society  of  the  United  Brethren  for 


1  Erected  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Muskingum  River,  at  its  junction 
with  the  Ohio,  by  United  States  troops,  under  Major  Doughty,  in  the 
autumn  of  1785. 

»  Hildreth's  History  of  the  United  States,  iii.  541;  Burnet's  Notes  on 
the  Early  Settlement  of  the  Northwest  Territory,  pp.  4G  and  56. 

»  Ettwein's  Historical  Statement.  MS.  G.  A.  Ten  thousand  acresj) 
exclusive  of  the  town  plats,  had  been  granted  by  Congress.  The  threo 
town  plats  were  660$  acres  each,  making  an  entire  grant  of  12,000  acres.^ 


I!i 


i\ 


I  ii',, 

I  i; 


BK^tliliiililiiMtlifeiiil 


wm 


:>.  ■  '  m 


ii 


If  pi 


i 


ii 


IM 


! 


I 


608 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


Propagating  the  Gospel  among  the  Heathen,"  was 
organized  at  Bethlehem.  This  association,  which  was 
incorporated  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature  of  Pennsyl- 
vania (February  28,  1788),'  held  the  land  granted  by 
Congress,  in  trust  for  the  Christian  Indians. 

Having  appointed  John  Heckewelder  its  agent,  he  set 
out  for  the  North^^-est  Territory  (September  10,  1788), 
accompanied  by  Matthias  Blickensderfer,  in  order  to 
have  the  tract  surveyed.  At  Pittsburg,  lie  met  Hutch- 
ins,  with  whom  he  proceeded  down  the  Ohio  to  Fort 
Hiv.mar.  Here  he  waited  until  the  beginning  of  winter, 
in  daily  expectation  of  a  treaty  which  was  to  be  held 
with  the  Indians  for  the  pacification  of  their  country, 
and  upon  the  issue  of  which  depended  the  survey.  At 
last  he  was  forced  to  return  to  Bethlehem  without 
accomplishing  his  object.^ 

/  It  was  not  the  fault  of  the  United  States  that  this 
,  treaty  did  not  take  place.  The  Indians  held  back. 
They  were  dissatisfied  and  turbulent;  many  of  them 
eager  for  war.  Not  until  the  winter  was  far  advanced 
could  they  be  induced  to  begin  negotiations. 
\-,The  treaty  was  opened  on  the  ninth  of  January,  1789, 
at  Fort  Harmar.  The  boundaries  previously  settled 
were  re-established,  but  under  the  new  principle  of  pay- 
ing for  the  land.     To  the  Six  Nations  were  given,  pay- 


1  Tho  first  officers  were;  Bishop  Ettwcin,  President;  Bishop  Ettwein, 
John  Hucbner,  John  Christian  Alexander  do  Schweinitz,  Directors; 
Bernard  A.  Grube,  Frederick  Peter,  Jacob  Van  Vleck,  Assistant  Di- 
rectors ;  John  Christian  Alexander  de  Schweinitz,  Treasurer  ;  Jacob 
Van  Vleck,  SccTatary  —Bethkhein  Diary,  Sept.  1787.    MS.  B.  A. 

'  Journal  of  Hcckcwelder's  Journey.    MS.  L.  A. 


DAVID   ZEISBERGEN. 


GOO 


able  in  goods,  three  thousand  dollars  for  the  cessions 
they  had  made;  to  the  Western  tribes,  of  which  the 
Wyandots,  Dehnvares,  Ottawas,  Chippewas,  Potawato- 
mies,  and  Sacs  were  represented,  six  thousand  dollars. 

The  Six  JSiations  were  disposed  to  accept  these  terms 
in  good  faith.  By  particular  treaties,  not  with  the 
United  States  authorities,  they  had  ceded  large  tracts 
in  Western  New  York,  retaining,  however,  extensive 
reservations,  and  some  among  them  were  rapidly  pro- 
gressing in  civilization,  especially  the  Oncidas,  on 
whose  reservation  the  Stockbridge  Indians  and  other 
remnants  of  Northeastern  clans  had  been  established.' 
But  the  Western  tribes  were  as  insincere  as  they  were 
malcontented.  Comparatively  few  of  them  had  been  in 
attendance,  and  these  had  been  sent  but  to  blind  the 
eyes  of  the  government.  General  Ilarmar,  however, 
as  well  as  the  Commissioners,  believed  that  the  treaty 
bad  given  peace  to  the  Northwest  Territory,  and 
rejoiced  in  this  consummation, — for  the  power  of  the 
aborigines  was  not  to  be  despised.  According  to  the 
estimate  of  the  War  Department,  there  were  five 
thousand  warriors  between  the  Ohio  and  the  Lakes,  and 
a  population  of  twenty  thousand  persons.  But  the  true 
number  was  considerably  larger.* 

The  Christian  Indians  had  sent  deputies  to  the  fort, 
who,  however,  grew  so  discouraged  by  the  long-pro- 
tracted delay,  that  they  did  not  await  the  opening  of 
the  treaty.      But   their  interests  were  not  forgotten. 


,/ 


.t- 


1  Hildroth'9  U.  S.,  i   13P  etc. 

39 


»Ibid.,i.  139. 


r\ 


!     # 


ID 


y' 


m 


jij:    •Jp) 


f' 


V  >.''/ 


it 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


General  St.  Clair  formally  notified  the  tribe8  of  the 
grant  which  Congress  had  made,  and  added  that  he 
would  invite  Zeisberger  to  re-establish  the  Mission  on 
the  Tuscarawas  at  once.  No  abjections  were  made, 
and  yet,  soon  after,  Welendawa^ken  sent  a  message  to 
New  Salem,  protesting  against  the  attempt.  This  new 
interference  incensed  the  converts,  and  they  transmitted 
a  spirited  reply. 

The  new  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  framed 
by  the  Convention  of  1787,  having  been  ratified,  the 
Continental  Congress  gave  way  to  the  first  Congress 
of  the  United  States ;  and,  on  the  last  day  of  April, 
'  1789,  George  "Washington  was  inaugurated  President. 
One  of  his  earliest  acts  was  to  lay  before  the  Senate  the 
treaty  of  Fort  Harmar.  It  was  not  only  approved,  but 
a  bill  passed  substantially  reaftirming  the  ordinance  of 
the  Continental  Congress  for  the  government  of  the 
Northwest  Territory. 

About  this  time  Zeisberger  gained  a  correct  insight 

into  the  real  state  of  the  Indian  country,  through  Eku- 

schuwe,  the  head  chief  of  the  Chippewa  nation,  who 

came  to  New  Salem,  attended  by  a  body-guard  of  ten 

warriors,  in    order    to    bring    "good    words"  to    the 

Mission.     The  treaty,  he  said,  was  a  mere  delusion; 

a  majority  of  the  tribes  were  for  war.    In  opposition 

to  these  the  Chippewas,  Ottawas,  Potawatomies,  and 

Wyandots    had    formed  a  confederation,  in  order  to 

^  uphold  peace  with  the  United  States  by  all  the  means 

\  in  their  power.     Pipe  and  the  Half  King  had  broken 

twith  Yvelendawacken  and  joined  the  confederates.    The 


DAVID   ZEISBERGER. 


611 


Half  King,  however,  had  died  at  Detroit,  in  the  summer 
of  1788,  before  any  decisive  measures  could  be  taken. 
Not  long  after  this,  the  other  chiefs  had  met  in  council, 
at  the  same  place,  and,  while  deeming  an  immediate 
return  of  the  Christian  Indians  to  their  old  seats  impos- 
sible, had  determined  to  recognize  and  protect  them, 
in  their  present  town,  as  a  part  of  their  confederacy, 
in  case  they  were  willing  to  assume  such  a  position. 

The  preservation  of  peace  being  one  of  the  fu  da- 
mental  laws  of  their  code,  the  converts  gladly  assented 
to  the  proposal.  Ekuschuwe  was  royally  entertained, 
and  departed  amid  the  firing  of  salutes. 

A  few  weeks  later,  Heckewelder  and  Abraham 
Steiner  arrived,  in  order  to  consult  Zeisberger  with 
regard  to  the  pr  jpriety  of  a  survey  in  the  Tuscarawas 
valley.  After  what  he  had  heard  from  the  Chippewa 
chief,  he  could  not  but  dissuade  them.  As  long  as  an 
Indian  war  impended,  the  attempt  would  be  perilous 
in  the  extreme.  Hence  Heckewelder  was  obliged  to 
return  to  Bethlehem  a  second  time,  without  gaining  his 
object. 


N 
«« 


-=J.r 


612 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER    XLI. 

ZEISBERGER    AT   NEW    SALEM    AMID    THE   FIRST    INDICATIONS 

OF   WAR.— 178'J-]791. 

Indian  schools,  and  Zcisborgor's  litorary  labors. — New  Salcni  thrives  in 
the  midst  of  a  famine. — Emigration  of  Delaware  and  scattered  con- 
verts to  the  ]Mipsissip])i. — Tiie  Mission  in  the  height  of  its  jiro.<j)crity. 
— Sensemaa  rejoins  the  Mission. — First  signs  of  war. — Scott's  raid. — 
Harmar's  expedition  and  defeat. — A  general  war  begins. — The  plots 
of  the  Indian  Council  against  the  Mission. — Zeisberger  applies  to 
the  confederate  chiefs,  and  then  to  the  Canadian  government,  for  a 
refuge  during  the  war. — Reasons  which  induced  him  to  seek  an  asylum 
in  Canada  — Manners  and  customs  of  the  Chippewas. — Mode  of  adopt- 
ing prisoners. — Exodus  from  New  t^alem. — Andrew  ^lontour's  sister. 
— Zcisberger's  opinion  of  Loskiol's  llistory  of  the  Indian  Mission. 


: 


The    further    stay  of   the    Mission    at    New  Salem 

■aftbrded   Zeisberger   an  opportunity  to  devote  himself 

jparticulrly  to  schools.     He  established   three  of  them, 

;in   all    of   which    he    gave    daily  instructions.     They 

1  numbered   about   one    hundred   pupils,  including    not 

a  few  adults,  who  were   anxious  to   learn  to  read  and 

^  write.     At  the  same  time,  he  engaged  in  literary  labors, 

1  translating  into  Delaware  a  selection  of  hymns  and  a 

1  Harmony  of  the  History  of  the  Saviour's  Passion.' 

In  the  course  of  the  summer  and  autumn,  a  dreadful 
famine  prevailed  at  Detroit  and  along  the  Lakes.  Men 
actually  starved  to  death.  But  New  Salem  continued 
to  prosper.     God  laid   upon  its  plantations  a  twofold 


1  Zcisberger's  Letters  to  Ettwein  and  Huebener,  1789.     MS.  B.  A. 


DAVID  ZEJSBERGER. 


618 


blcssiug.  Thoy  yioklod  richer  harvests  than  over 
heforo.  Of  this  the  Indians  were  not  slow  to  take 
advantage.  They  flocked  in  tVoni  all  sides.  A  single 
family  sometimes  entertained  as  many  as  thirteen 
guests,  for  weeks  together.  There  was,  however,  no 
complaint  on  the  part  of  the  converts.  They  showed 
their  faith  by  their  works. 

Induced  by  this  famine,  a  part  of  the  Delaware  nation 
emigrated  to  the  Mississippi,  and  settled  near  the 
Spanish  colonics.  The  most  of  the  scattered  members 
of  the  Mission  accompanied  these  emigrants,  and  were 
never  again  heard  of  A  number  had  died  before  this 
exodus,  and  of  these  some  repented  in  their  last  hours, 
and  left  behind  a  sweet  savor  of  the  Gospel. 

In  the  year  1790,  New  Salem  reached  tlie  height 
of  its  prosperity ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  the  complica- 
tions in  the  West  grew  so  portentous  as  to  render  the 
settlement  untenable. 

The  year  opened  with  the  genial  weather  of  spring. 
Wild  flowers  in  full  bloom  were  found  in  the  forests. 
They  formed  a  type  of  the  spiritual  beauty  of  the  Mis- 
sion. The  Gospel  was  proclaimed  with  power,  and 
received  with  joy.  Many  heathens  were  converted  and 
baptized.  Others  died  full  of  hope.'  The  congregati()n 
numbered  two  hundred  and  twelve  persons,  a  larger 
nierabership  than  at  any  time,  since  the  massacre,  and 


1  Among  these  wa.:  a  white  woman,  once  a  member  of  John  Harris's 
family,  at  the  Susquehanna  Perry,  who  liad  been  taken  prisoner  in  the 
French  and  Indian  War,  and  had  wandered  about  among  the  tribes 
until  she  became  an  Indian  in  all  things  except  color. 


i'K 


'S, 


v-^ 


614 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


I'll' 
■ 
J 


ill 


i:ll 


i'! 


I-    i   I  :      ■ 


Vl 


the  town,  with  its  improvements,  increased  so  mucli 
that  Zeisberger  thought  of  beginning  u  second  settle- 
ment, and  asked  for  more  laborers.  Gottlob  Scnsemau 
and  bis  wife  hastened  to  answer  this  call,  and  rejoined 
the  Mission  on  the  ninth  of  November.  The  prospect 
of  bringing  it  back  to  its  former  streng  nd  i  itluence 
was  continually  brightening,  when  the  „.^uds  of  war 
that  had  been  hanging  over  the  distant  horizon,  instead 
of  melting  away,  unexpectedly  began  to  rise  in  such 
dark  masses  as  to  obscure  these  hopes. 

Instigated  by  British  agents  and  officers,  and  encour- 
aged particularly  by  Sir  John  Johnson,*  the  hostile 
tribes  infested  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  which  thev 
claimed  as  the  only  rightful  boundary  of  their  country, 
and  commenced  to  waylay  emigrants  from  the  States. 
A  lofty  rock  above  the  mouth  of  the  Scioto,  on  the 
Virginia  shore,  was  their  favorite  lookout,  whence  they 
could  see  boats  at  a  great  distance.  In  other  places  they 
committed  murders  and  carried  oft'  horses.  Instances 
of  this  kind  became  so  common,  that  both  Governor  St. 
Clair  and  General  Harraar  could  no  longer  deny  that 
war  existed. 

The  first  attempt  at  retaliation  was  abortive.  Two 
hundred  and  thirty  Kentuckians,  and  one  hundred 
regulars  from  Fort  Washington,  under  General  Scott, 
marched  as  far  as  the  Scioto  (April,  1790)  without  meet- 
ing any  savages,  or  finding  any  traces  of  them  except 
deserted  villages.     In  autumn,  a  more  formidable  expe- 


1  Hildreth'a  Hist.  XJ.  S.,  Second  Series,  i.  247,  etc.;  Burnet's  Notes, 
94,  102,  etc. 


V- 


-•■V 


DAVID  ZEISBEROER 


615 


dition  was  uiidortakon  against  Giijjoyunk  and  the  other 
towns  of  the  Maunieo,  by  a  body  of  eleven  hundred 
men,  re<ifulars  and  militia,  called  out  by  the  President. 
General  Ilarmar  commanded  in  person.  At  first  be, 
too,  saw  only  deserted  villiiges,  which  his  troops  de- 
stroyed, together  witli  abiiit  twenty  thousand  iMJshels 
of  corn  and  large  fruit-orchards.  By-and-by,  however, 
he  got  upon  tlie  trail  of  the  Indians,  and  sent  two  de- 
tachments in  pursuit.  This  was  a  most  imprudent 
measure.  The  Indians  turned  upon  the  detachments 
and  totally  defeated  them.  Ilarmar  retreated  with  such 
haste  as  to  leave  his  dead  in  their  hands.  The  scalped 
and  mutilated  remains  became  food  for  birds  ai;d  beasts 
of  prey.' 

A  cry  for  vengeance  passed  through  the  Indian  coun- 
try wlien  the  burning  of  the  Maumee  villages  was 
known ;  and  a  yell  of  triumph  followed  as  soon  as  the 
news  spread  of  the  victory  which  the  warriors  had 
gained.  The  peace-confederation,  under  Ekuschwe 
and  Pipe,  lost  all  influence.  A  council,  held  on  the 
ruins  of  Gigeyunk,  determined  to  begin  a  general 
war,  and  to  force  the  Christian  Indians  to  take  part  in 
it.  So  intense  was  the  excitement,  that  a  project  to 
seize  them  and  their  teachers  at  once  was  prevented  by 
the  more  prudent  of  the  chiefs,  only  after  they  had 
pointed  out  an  internecine  war  as  the  inevitable  result. 
The  confederates  would,  they  said,  make  common  cause 
with  the  converts.     A  plot  was,  accordingly,  concocced 

'  Ze'isberger^s  Letter  to  Bishop  Hehl.     At  his  own  request,  Harmar  was 
tried  by  a  court-martial  and  acquitted,  but  resigned  his  commission. 


t 


X.. 


T- 


l\\ 


iU 


i  ! 


'I 


» i  I'i:;; 
11 


i!i;'i 


ri  ( 


i  '  ! 


,.a^- 


V 


(VV 


K, 


>7 


616 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


to  invite  the  Mission  to  come  to  Gigeyunk,  under  the 
semblance  of  friendship,  but,  in  reality,  for  the  purpose 
of  destroying  its  liberty  and  coercing  its  members  into 
the  ranks  of  war-parties,  upon  pain  of  death. 

These  machinations  were  not  known  at  New  Salem. 
Nevertheless,  in  any  case,  it  became  necessary  to  secure 
a  retreat  during  the  approaching  storm.  In  the  early 
part  of  the  next  year  (1791),  an  embassy  was  sent  to  the 
confederate  chiefs,  and  to  Pipe  in  particular,  asking 
their  aid  on  behalf  of  the  Mission,  in  accordance  with 
the  ofiers  which  they  had  made.  Pipe  expressed  his 
willingness  to  do  all  he  could,  and  promised  to  consult 
the  other  confederates.  Meantime  two  runners  arrived 
at  New  Salem,  from  the,  war-council  at  Gigeyunk. 
"Friends  and  inhabitants  of  Pettquotting  !" — ran  their 
message — "we  hereby  inform  you  that  you  cannot  re- 
main in  your  town.  Make  ready  to  go.  In  two  months 
you  will  hear  more.  Obej'  us,  or  what  you  sufi'ered  at 
Muskingum  will  come  upon  you  again."  This  was  the 
firsi;  coil  which  the  wily  savages  wound  around  the  Mis- 
sion. But  the  Christian  Indians  refused  the  string  that 
accompanied  the  message,  and  replied  :  "  Friends  !  We 
are  preparing  to  go.  We  do  not  sit  in  darkness.  We 
know  what  to  do.  We  have  appealed  to  three  chiefs. 
They  will  care  for  us.  We  do  not  need  your  advice, 
•jfc  thank  you  for  it." 

Unfortunately,  however,  the  confederates  delayed 
their  tMiswer  so  long  that  Zeiaberger  was  constrained 
to  apply  to  the  English  government  for  protection.  In 
March,  Edwards  went    to    Detroit    to    negotiate  with 


y  ,'     / .    -V 


■■  ")  yjy  i'r\tmm  i^^-.***" 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER. 


617 


!!•  the 

rpose 

into 


Major  Smith,  the  conimaiulant,  and  McKec,  the  Indian 
agent,  for  the^  lease  of  a  traet  of  kind  in  Canada,  where 
the  Mission  might  be  carried  on  temporarily,  as  long  as 
war  existed.  Smith  and  McKee,  on  their  part,  sug- 
gested a  grant,  in  place  of  a  lease,  and  wrote  to  the 
government  at  Quebec  upon  the  subject,  advising 
Edwards  to  spend  another  planting-season  at  New 
Salem. 

This  Zeisberger  deemed  impossihle.  A  general  war 
had  virtually  begun.  The  United  States  were  engaged 
in  great  preparations  to  humble  the  savages.  Mean- 
while irresponsible  bodies  of  militia  made  incursions 
into  their  country,  shooting  all  they  found,  whether 
frien<ls  or  foes.  On  the  Beaver  River  several  Indians 
had  been  slain  who  were  connected  with  the  Mission. 
The  converts  were  not  to  be  pacitied.  Their  rich  plan- 
tations and  flourishing  town  were  as  nothing  to  them  in 
comparison  with  a  safe  retreat.  All  the  harrowing  recol- 
lections of  the  massacre  came  up  again,  and  Zeisberger 
well  knew,  from  former  experiences,  that  at  every  alarm 
his  Indians  would  take  to  the  woods  and  disperse. 
He  believed  them  to  be,  moreover,  in  real  danger. 
On  the  other  hand,  he  was  not  ignorant  of  the  risks 
which  the  Mission  would  run  in  the  event  of  an  exodus 
from  the  soil  of  the  United  States.  Congress  might  re- 
sent as  an  insult  his  appeal  to  those  British  authorities 
who  were  tampering  with  the  savages,  and  revoke  the 
grant  in  the  Tuscarawas  valley.  But  all  these  con- 
siderations were  outweighed  by  the  personal  safety  of 
the   converts.      Zeisberger,  too,  could   not    forget  the 


/ 


\  .)  / 


mm 


618 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


m 


II     l! 


,Mj    1. 


massacre.  Another  war  would  produce  all  the  acces- 
sories of  another  massacre.  And  although  Bishop 
Ettwein  pointed  out  Presque  Isle,  or  the  French  Creek, 
as  a  suitahlc  locality;  and  told  him  of  the  renewal  of 
the  ancient  friendship  of  the  Church  with  the  Six 
Nations,  at  the  house  of  Governor  Miiflin,  where  he 
had  been  in  council  with  Cornplanter,  Half  Town, 
and  Big  Tree,  noted  sachems  of  the  Senecas,  of  their 
desire  for  the  Gospel,  and  of  his  own  hopes  with  regard 
to  the  Iroquois  in  case  the  Mission  were,  for  the  time 
being,    transferred    to    Pennsylvania;'    yet    Zeisberger 

»  Eitwein's  Lettei'  to  Zeisberger,  Feb.  1791.  MS.  B.  A.  At  the  time 
of  writing  this  letter,  Bishop  Ettwein  entertained  high  hopes  of  extend- 
ing the  Mission  in  Pennsylvania.  On  the  eleventh  of  January,  1791, 
the  Society  for  Propagating  the  Gospel  had  petitioned  the  Assembly 
of  Pennsylvania  for  a  tract  of  land  near  Lake  Erie,  or  on  French 
Creek,  partly  in  order  to  gain  an  increased  income  for  defraying  the 
expenses  of  its  work  among  the  Indians,  and  partly  with  the  view  of 
beginning  a  settlement  of  natives,  which,  "by  the  blessing  of  God,  would 
become  a  means  of  bringing  many  savages  to  the  Christian  religion,  to 
industry,  and  to  social  life  with  the  citizens  of  the  United  States."  This 
petition  was  shown  to  Governor  Mifflin,  who  favored  the  project,  and  was 
presented  by  Mr.  MahoUen.  Having  been  read  a  second  time,  on  the 
twelfth  of  J  inuary,  a  committee  of  Ave  was  appointed  to  report  on  it. 
This  committee  strongly  urged  the  propriety  of  granting  the  prayer  of 
the  petitioners,  upon  the  following  grounds:  1.  Moravian  Indian  set- 
tlements near  Lake  Erie  would  tend  to  civilize  the  natives.  2.  Would 
prove  a  protection  to  the  infant  settlements  of  white  people  in  that 
country.  3.  Would  open  a  connection  with  distant  tribes  and  divert  a 
considerable  quantity  of  the  fur  trade  into  the  State  of  Pennsylvania. 
Accordingly  another  committee  was  appointed,  which  brouglit  in  an  act 
that  was  adopted,  and  approved  by  the  Governor,  April,  9,  1791,  grant- 
ing the  Society  five  thousand  acres  in  two  tracts,  one  of  twenty-flvo 
hundred  acres  on  Conneaut  Creek,  the  other  of  twenty-flve  hundred 
acres  on  the  heads  of  French  Creek.  Warrants  for  the  survc}'  were 
issued  May  28,  1791.  Owing  to  the  war,  it  could  not,  however,  bo 
undertaken  until  May  and  June,  1794,  when  Jacob  Eyerly  and   Mr. 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


619 


remained  true  to  bis  convictions  that  the  only  place 
of  real  security  in  the  approaching  conflict  was  the 
neutral  ground  of  a  British  colony.  Hence  he  sent 
Edwards  back  to  Detroit  to  secure  an  asylum,  without 
delay,  somewhere  on  English  territory,  even  if  it  were 
only  a  "  night-lodge." 

With  regard  to  himself,  this  prospect  of  another 
migration  elicited  the  following  sentiments  in  a  letter 
to  a  member  of  the  Board:  "My  time  is  short.  I 
begin  to  anticipate  my  rest  with  God.  But  as  long  as 
I  am  here,  I  will  be  diligent  to  do  my  part  in  estab- 
lishing the  glory  of  the  Saviour  among  the  heathen, 
I  would  very  much  wish  to  finish,  before  I  die,  th<! 
literary  labors  in  which  I  am  engaged.  Our  frequen; 
journeys  hinder  them  greatly."* 

During  his  stay  at  New  Salem,  Zeisberger  had 
many  opportunities  to  observe  the  manners  and  cus- 
toms of  the  Chippewas.  "Whenever  they  came  to  the 
town,  they  engaged  in  what  was  called  their  beg- 
ging-dance. Beginning  at  one  end  of  the  village,  they 
danced  from  house  to  house  till  they  had  reached  the 


Mr. 


Rees  accomplished  it,  amid  considerable  danger.  The  tract  on  the 
Conncaut,  which  stretched  to  the  lake,  was  called  "Hospitality;"  that 
on  French  Creek,  "Good  Luck."  They  wore  both  in  Eric  County, 
Pa.,  and  comprised,  in  addition  to  the  Assembly's  grunt,  five  hundred 
and  eighty-two  acres  purchased  by  the  Society,  and  four  lumdred  and 
three  acres  presented  to  the  same  by  Jacob  Eycrly  and  George  Huber, 
in  all  flfty-nino  hundred  and  eighty-five  acres.  The  hoped-for  Indian 
town  was,  however,  never  built,  and  the  Society,  in  course  of  time,  sold 
the  land,  some  of  it  but  twenty  years  ago. — Drafts,  Letters,  and  other 
MSS.  in  the  Societi/'s  Archives. 
»  Original  Letter.     MS.  L.  A. 


\ 


V 


lljiliiil 


i  mi 


y.. 


/ 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


other  end,  and  at  the  same  lime  begged  from  door  to 
door.  Besides  the  string  or  belt  of  wampum,  their 
messages  were  always  accompanied  with  a  piece  of 
tobacco,  which  the  recipients  were  expected  to  smoke 
while  in  consultation.  To  cure  a  sick  person  they 
slaughtered  a  dog,  feasted  on  its  flesh,  and  chanted 
incantations. 

A  chief,  who  died  near  New  Salem,  was  buried  in 
great  state.  His  face  having  been  painted  red,  and 
his  body  robed  in  the  best  of  garments,  he  was  placed, 
iu  a  cofiin  such  as  the  Christian  Indians  used.  A 
wreath  of  silver  buckles  encircled  his  head,  on  one 
side  of  which  were  apples  and  on  the  other  onions. 
Around  his  neck  and  arms  were  wrapped  belts  of 
wampum  with  silver  trinkets.  Close  by  his  one  hand 
lay  his  tobacco-pouch,  pipe,  knife,  and  flint ;  near  the 
other,  his  hunting-pouch,  powder-liorn,  lead  for  bullets, 
and  a  loaf  of  wheat  bread ;  at  his  feet  were  a  pot,  bowl, 
spoon,  hatchet,  and  a  pair  of  shoes. 

The  canoes  of  the  Chippewas  consisted  of  a  frame  of 
/cedar  wood,  around  which  was  a  covering  of  birch-bark 
\  sewed  together  iu  bands,  the  seams  being  cemented 
with  gum.  They  were  so  light  that  two  men  could 
j  carry  the  largest  of  them,  and  yet  so  strong  that  they 
I  plowed  even  the  waves  of  Lake  Erie  with  ease. 

The  custom  of  adoption  into  a  family  by^  foxcejgi'e- 
vailed  among  various  tribes.  In  case  of  the  death 
of  a  son  or  daughter,  the  parents,  \vith  a  black  belt, 
hired  a  captain  to  procure  a  substitute.  Collecting  his 
band,  this  captain  went  out  as  for  war,  and  took  a  pris- 


f- 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


621 


oner.  If  he  was  a  white  man,  his  head  was  shaved  and 
painted ;  in  every  case,  the  belt  was  wrapped  around  his 
neck,  and  he  was  carried  ofl'  to  the  bereaved  family, 
which  received  him  with  all  aft'ection. 

On  the  last  day  of  March,  thirty  large  canoes  having 
been  completed,  the  Indians  sent  their  goods  and 
chattels  to  Sandusky,  which  was  to  be  the  place  of 
rendezvous.  Soon  after,  the  greater  part  of  them 
followed,  leaving  Zeisberger  and  a  few  of  his  com- 
panions in  the  town.  On  the  tenth  of  April,  ho  offici- 
ated, for  the  last  time,  in  the  chapel,  preaching  on  the  ' 
words  :  "Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  If  a  man  keep 
my  saying,  he  shall  never  see  death."'  Immediately 
after  this  service,  the  structure  was  taken  down,  and 
the  bell  removed.  On  the  fourteenth,  he,  too,  de- 
parted. One  of  the  latest  converts,  who  accompanied 
him,  was  a  sister  of  Andrew  Montour.  She  was  a 
living  polyglot  of  the  tongues  of  the  West,  speaking; 
the  English,  French,  Mohawk,  Wyandot,  Ottawa,  ChipJ 
pewa,  Shawanese,  and  Delaware  languages. 

From  every  part  of  the  neighborhood  Indians  had 
flocked  to  New  Salem  to  see  the  exodus  of  the  con. 
gregation.  Into  their  hands  the  town  fell.  Some  fifty 
applicants  for  church-membership  declined  accompany- 
ing the  Mission. 

While  at  New  Salem,  Zeisberger  received  a  copy  of '• 
LoskieVs  History  of  the  Indian  3Iission,  of  which  he  is  ,• 
the  hero.     In  a  letter  to  the  Board,  he  says  of  this ' 


r,.^' 


/ 


!.■ 


*  John,  viii.  51. 


,/'' 


622 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


work:  "I  have  read  the  History  of  the  Mission  with 
much  pleasure,  but  the  orthography  of  the  Indian 
rewords  is  a  disgrace  to  the  book.  I  wish  the  English 
translation  could  be  postponed.  There  are  persons 
still  living  whose  names  occur  as  enemies  of  our 
Mission,  who  have  now  wholly  changed  their  views 
and  sentiments,  and  are  our  friends.  They  ought  not 
to  be  exposed.  Perhaps  the  best  plan  would  be  to  omit 
their  names  altogether."  Tliis  is  an  interesting  in- 
stance of  Zeisberger's  forgiving  spirit.  He  refers  to 
such  persons  as  Elliot  and  McKee,  who  were  the  real 
cause  of  all  the  misfortunes  that  had  come  upon  the 
Mission,  however  friendly  they  now  showed  themselves 
under  orders  from  the  British  government.  Zeisber- 
ger's suggestion  was  carried  out.  In  La  Trobe's 
translation,  published  in  1794,  the  names  of  all  former 
enemies  of  the  Mission  are  omitted. 


Jl      ;  III 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


623 


CHAPTER   XLII. 


ZEISBERGER  AT  THE  MOUTH  OF  THE  DETROIT  RIVER.— 1791, 1792. 


Journey  from  Sandusky  to  the  Detroit. — The  Watch-Tower. — Scott's 
raid  on  the  Wabash. — Message  to  the  Christian  Indians,  requiring 
them  to  take  part  in  the  war. — Excitement  among  the  young  men. — 
Zeisberger'.s  policy.  —  Fruitless  attempts  at  negotiations. —  Indian 
"talk"  at  Quebec. — Josepli  Brant. — Wilkinson's  raid. — March  of  St. 
Clair's  army. — His  plan  of  operations.— Surpri.sed  by  the  Indians  at 
the  head-waters  of  the  Wabash. — The  news  at  the  Watch-Tower. — 
Death  of  Job  Chilloway  and  Abraham. — Report  of  the  Secretary  of 
State  of  the  United  States  upon  the  exodus  of  the  Mission. — Explan- 
atory memorial  of  the  Society  for  Propagating  the  Gospel. — A  more 
permanent  settlement  undertaken  in  Canada. — Departure  from  the 
Watch-Tower. 


i 


The  Saginaic,  a  sloop  chartered  from  the  iN'orthwest 
Company  for  fifty  pounds  sterling,  came  to  the  rendez- 
vous at  Sandusky  and  took  on  board  Senseman,  Jung, 
the  aged  and  infirm,  together  with  the  goods  of  the  Mis- 
sion. The  rest  proceeded  in  two  bodies,  one  by  land 
with  the  cattle,  the  other,  led  by  Zeisberger  and  Ed- 
wards, in  canoes,  encamping,  each  night,  on  the  shore 
of  the  lake.  One  of  their  halting-places  was  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Maumee,  on  which  lay  Gigeyunk,  the 
seat  of  savage  power,  where  so  many  threats  had  been 
breathed  against  the  Mission.  Gathering  the  converts  , 
around  a  fire,  Zeisberger  sang  with  them  a  number 
of  Delaware  hymns,  expressive  of  their  faith  and  con- 
fidence in  God,  as  though  he  would  send  up  the  river 


I 


I!:  ill 


624 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


^ 


!i.  ii  1 


ill 


that  defiance  with  which  Christians  meet  the  plots  of 
heathens. 

On  the  third  of  May,  his  party  reached  the  mouth  of 
ihe  Detroit,  and  was,  soon  after,  joined  by  the  other 
, division.    The  Saginaw  had  been  awaiting  them.    On  the 
■  eastern  or  Canada  side,  lay  a  tract  of  land  belonging  to 
McKee  and  Elliot,  which  had  been  put  at  the  disposal 
of  the  Mission.     Tliis  land  was  cleared,  ready  for  culti- 
vation, and  had  several  houses.    In  one  of  these  Zeisber- 
;ger  took  up  his  abode;  in  another,  close  by,  Jung,  both 
I  on  McKee's  plantation ;  a  quarter  of  a  mile  nearer  to  the 
river,  Scnseman  and  Edwards  found  a  home  in  houses 
:  owned  by  Elliot.     Between  those  several  buildings  the 
Indians  put  up  bark-huts.     This  little  settlement,  which 
1  they  called  the  Warte,  or  the  "  Watch-Tower,"  stood  in 
'  full  view  of  the  lake.^     Opposite  to  it,  on  the  American 
j  side  of  the  river,  was  a  Wyandot  village.     A  few  Cana- 
dian farmers  lived  in  the  vicinity,  among  them  a  stew- 
j  ard  of  Elliot,  with  a  number  of  negroes.     Otherwise 

the  converts  were  isolated. 
^^  But  even  this  refuge  did  not  completely  secure  them 
against  the  machinations  of  the  hostile  tribes. 

It  is  true,  the  war-parties  which  gathered  on  the  Mau- 
mee,  the  Wabash,  and  the  heads  of  the  Miami,  came 
from  the  north,  and  passed  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the 
river,  yet  messages  were  sent  to  disturb  them,  particu- 
larly after  the  campaign  of  early  summer. 

While  an  army  of  three  thousand  men  was  being 

1  The  village  must  have  been  at  or  near  what  is  now  the  garrison^own^ 
of  Amherstburg. 


i?" 


,'->  'i,,-^._.4^'>' 


'  .-^Z--!^'^ 


'/- 


/ , 


DAVID  ZEISBEROER. 


>25 


raised  for  Governor  St.  Clair,  who  had  been  co^jimis- 
sioned  as  major-general,  Washington  called  out  Ken- 
tucky volunteers  for  immediate  relief.  They  crossed 
the  Ohio  in  May,  numbering  five  hundred  men,  under  | 
General  Scott,  and  proceeded  to  the  villages  on  the  I 
Wabash.  The  Indians  made  but  little  resistance,  fleeiu"- 
yL_oE£'lL£<^"/'^^^^"  >  ^^^^^  towns  were  taken  and  burned 
(June  1st).  The  next  day,  Colonel  Wilkinson  marched 
against  Kethtipecanvvak,  an  important  Kickapoo  village 
eighteen  miles  distant,  which  he  captured  and  destroyed, 
together  with  all  its  stores  and  property.  The  inhab- 
itants, however,  escaped.  Many  of  these  were  French 
settlers,  and,  as  their  papers  showed,  in  correspondence 
with  Detroit.^ 

This  expedition  brought  out  a  message  to  the 
Christian  Indians.  It  professed  to  come  from  the 
General  War  Council,  although  it  was,  in  reality,  sent 
by  the  Delawarea  alone,  and  called  upon  the  young  men 
to  join  the  warriors  and  fight  for  their  country,  threat- 
ening  death  to  the  whole  congregation  if  +hey  refused. 
The  young  men  were  thrown  into  the  wildest  excite- 
ment, which  the  reproaches  of  a  French  captain  served 
to  intensify,  who  taunted  them  with  the  assertion  that 
all  the  Indians  of  the  West,  except  the  Christians, 
were  making  an  effort  to  save  the  land  of  their 
fathers.  A  band  of  ten  was  formed,  determined  to 
join  the  Indian  army.  Zeisberger  did  not  atteiapt  • 
to  keep  them  back,  seeing  that  this  would  be  impos-  : 


I 


\ 


>  Hildreth's  U.  S.,  New  Serie?,  i.  281 ;  Burnet's  Notes,  117,  etc. 

40 


G26 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


ir 


sible,  but  persuaded  them  to  accept  two  of  the  national 
assistants  us  their  leaders.  These  received  instructions 
to  prevent  them  from  actually  taking  part  in  the  war, 
and  to  protest,  in  the  Council,  against  further  inter- 
ference of  this  sort  with  the  Mission.  It  proved  to 
be  a  successful  policy.  After  some  weeks  the  assist- 
ants brought  back  the  young  men,  who  were  satisfied 
with  a  mere  sight  of  the  army,  and  a  promise  from 
the  Council  that  the  Christian  Indians  should  not 
again  be  molested.  This  promise  was,  indeed,  con- 
stantly broken,  but  the  influence  of  the  War  Council 
over  the  young  of  the  Mission  came  to  an  end.  Public 
opinion  among  the  converts,  which  had  for  a  moment 
wavered,  recovered  its  normal  state,  and  sternly  inter- 
dicted all  further  connection  with  warriors. 

Amid  the   warlike    preparations   which   were   going 

on,  negotiations  were  not  left  untried.     Cornplanter^  a 

Seneca  sachem,  agreed  to  be  the   mediator  with  the 

hostile   tribes ;   but   the  unwillingness  of  the   British 

^.  commandant  at  Fort  Erie  to  render  him  the  necessary 

\y  ..,     assistance  put  an  end  to  his  friendly  effort.    Nor  did  the 

y-^     /,     ("talk"  which  they  had  at  Quebec  with  their  English 

j  -y     'Father,  lead  to   any  better   results.      They  laid   their 

i-   y^        grievances  before   him,  and  professed   their   readiness 

I  to  conclude  peace,  if  the  United  States  would  give  up 

I  their  boundaries  and  accept  the  Cuyahoga  and  Mus- 

!  kingum  as  the  line.     But  ji either  the  Indians  nor  the 

■  Canadian  authorities  were  sincere.     The  former  hoped 

for  aid  from  the  latter,  and  these  would  have  furnished 

it  had  they  dared ;  for  it  galled  them  to  see  the  abun- 


^ 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


627 


daut  fruits  which  the  United  States  were  reaping  from 
their  independence. 

Injthis  treaty  Joseph  Brant'  took  an  active  part.  He 
had  passed  with  Elliot  through  the  Christian  settlement, 
on  his  way  to  Quebec,  and  made  the  acquaintance  of 
Zeisberger;  and  now  he  delivered  a  speech  in  favor  of 
the  Christian  Indians,  to  the  astonishment  of  their 
teachers,  who  could  not  divine  his  object. 

The  negotiations  which  had  been  attempted  were 
followed  by  new  campaigns.  In  August,  a  body  of 
Kentuckians,  under  Colonel  Wilkinson,  destroyed 
several  towns  on  the  "Wabash,  and  largo  quantities  of 
corn  in  the  stalk;  and,  on  the  seventeenth  of  Sep- 
tember (1791),  St.  Clair's  army,  although  lacking 
nearly  one  thousand  men  of  its  complement,  began 
its  march  from  Fort  "Washington.  St.  Clair  proposed 
to  open  communication  between  the  Ohio  and  the 
Maumee  by  a  line  of  posts,  to  build  a  strong  fort  on 
the  latter  river,  and  to  garrison  it  with  a  force  suflS- 
cient  to  overawe  the  Indians. 

In  pursuance  of  this  plan,  Fort  Hamilton'  was  con- 
structed on  the  Miami,  at  a  distance  of  twenty-four 
miles  from  Fort  Washington  ;  and  forty-five  miles 
farther  north.  Fort  Jefiiersou.  Reduced  in  numbers  by 
garrisons  for  these  posts  and  by  desertions,  and  wait- 


1  A  celebrated  Mohawk  sachem,  Thnyondanega,  born  about  1742, 
died  1807,  civilized  and  educated,  attached  to  the  interests  of  the 
Johnson  family  and  of  Great  Britain, — a  brave  warrior  and  a  man 
of  ^'reat  ability.  He  published  the  Gospel  of  Mark  in  Mohawk.  In 
England,  wherever  ho  traveled,  he  was  received  with  distinction. 

2  Now  Hamilton,  the  county-seat  of  Butler  County,  Ohio. 


1 1.  t  /^- 


'^\.y-^ ; 


/ 


/ 


628 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


ing  anxiously  for  supplies,  the  army  spent  two  weeks 
in  marching  the  next  twenty-nine  miles.  On  the 
third  of  November,  fourteen  hundred  men  encamped 
at  the  head-waters  of  the  Wabash,  in  Mercer  County, 
Ohio,  which  stream  St.  Clair  mistook  for  the  St. 
Mary's.  Early  the  next  morning,  about  sunrise,  as 
the  troops  were  dismissed  from  parade,  and  while  he 
was  lying  sick  in  his  tent,  a  sudden  and  furious  attack 
was  made  by  the  Indians.  The  militia  fled  in  dismay  ; 
the  first  line  of  regulars  was  thrown  into  confusion ; 
General  Bi>!'er  fell  mortally  wuuuded ;  many  other 
officers  were  killed  in  their  attempts  to  rally  the  men  ; 
and,  at  last,  the  remnant  of  the  army  retreated  pre- 
cipitately to  Fort  Jefi'erson,  leaving  in  the  hands  of  the 
savages  all  the  baggage  and  artillery,  a  large  quantity 
of  arms,  besides  six  hundred  killed  and  numerous 
prisoners.  The  entire  Jo^s^  in  J^ill£4j_J?231tl5l6^A  §"d 
prisonersj  amounted  to  more  Jhan  nine  hundred  raeii, 
including  fifty-nine  officers.  It  was  a  total  and  most 
disastrous  defeat,  which  filled  the  frontiers  with  alarm. 
■  On  the  fifteenth  of  the  month,  a  dispatch-boat, 
on  its  way  to  Fort  Erie,  anchored  off  the  missionary 
settlement,  and  sent  ashore  the  intelligence.  Zeis- 
berger  was  distressed.  He  feared  a  long  and  bloody 
war,  and  immediate  interference,  of  the  most  serious 
character,  with  the  Mission.  But  the  Indians  did 
not  follow  up  their  victory,  bo  that  the  converts  re- 
mained undisturbed,  and  peacefully  worshiped  in 
their  new  church,  which  had  been  dedicated  on  the 
nineteenth  of  June.     Two  of  the  most  distinguished 


!r 


»  -i. 


/ 


DAVID   ZEISDERQER. 


629 


among  them,  and  both  national  assistants,  hero  fin- 
ished their  earthly  course.  The  one  was  William,  or 
Job  Chilloway,  who  died  on  the  twenty-second  of 
September.  lu  his  youth  a  special  favorite  of  Sir 
William  Johnson,  and  one  of  his  interpreters,  he  had 
joined  the  Mission  in  1770,  and  served  it  for  twenty 
years  with  ability  and  faithfulness,  especially  in  nego- 
tiations with  heathen  chiefs.  The  other  was  Abraham, 
who  passed  away  on  the  third  of  November.  Of 
him  it  ma}*  be  said  that  he  was  a  prince  and  a  great 
man  among  his  people.  Besotted,  fierce,  and  cruel 
as  a  heathen,  he  was  consistent,  bold,  and  faithful  as 
a  Christian.  He  had  led  a  holy  life  ever  since  his  bap- 
tism at  Friedenshiitten,  in  1765,  preaching  the  Gospel 
with  eloquence  and  power,  helping  Zeisberger  to 
establish  the  stations  on  the  Alleghany  and  in  Ohio, 
and  filling  the  office  of  Steward  to  the  Mission  until 
his  death.  "  We  have  had,"  says  Zeisberger,  "  but  one 
Abraham,  and  will  painfully  miss  him.  But  praise  be 
to  God  that  He  permitted  this  witness  of  the  truth  to 
be  among  us  for  so  many  years  !" 

In   his  report  of  November  eighth,  1791,  Thomas 
Jefferson,  Secretary  of  State,  noticed   the  transfer  of 
the  Mission  to  British  soil  in   the  following  terras :  i 
"  The  Indians,  however,  for  whom  the  reservation  was 
made,  have  chosen  to  emigrate  beyond  the  limits  of  the 
United  States,  so  that  the  lands  reserved  for  them  still ; 
remain  to  the  United  States."    This  induced  the  Society' 
for  Propagating  the  Gospel  to  memorialize  Congress  ( 
upon  the  subject,  explaining  the  necessity  which  com-j 


J 


630 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


pelled  the  Indians  to  seek  an  asylum  in  Canada.*  Mean- 
while Zeisberger  took  measures  to  secure  a  more  per- 
manent seat  in  that  Province  (1792),  justified,  as  he 
thought,  by  the  continuance  of  the  war.  An  application 
to  McKee  for  a  grant  of  land  was  forwarded  to  Sir  John 
Johnson,  and  well  received.  Owing  to  the  organization 
of  separate  governments  for  Upper  and  Lower  Canada, 
which  was  taking  place  at  the  time,  an  immediate 
answer  could  not  be  given.  Hence,  as  it  was  important 
to  leave  the  Detroit  in  time  for  planting,  McKee,  upon 
his  own  responsibility,  permitted  the  Christian  Indians 
to  remove  to  the  Retrenche  lliver.^  On  the  twelfth  of 
April,  they  left  in  two  parties, — one  by  land,  the  other 
in  canoes  up  the  Detroit  and  across  Lake  St.  Clair. 
;  They  were  to  meet  at  the  mouth  of  the  Retrenche. 


I 


»  Draft  of  Memorial.    MS.  B.  A. 


'  Now  the  Thames. 


DAVID  ZEISS  ERG  EB. 


631 


i 

\ 


i 


CHAPTER    XLIII. 

ZEISBERGER  FOUNDS   FAIRFIELD,  IN   CANADA.— 1792-1795. 

Arrival  of  the  Christian  Indians  on  the  Eetrnnche. — Site  for  a  town. — 
Influence  of  the  war.— Attempts  of  the  United  States  to  hring  about 
a  pacification. — Murder  of  Major  Truonaan- General  Putnam  and 
John  Heciteweldor  at  Port  Vincennes.  —  Grand  Council  on  the 
Maumee. — Joseph  Brant's  views  on  the  war. — The  Peace  Commis- 
sion and  its  Quaker  assistants.— Tlie  gift  and  letter  of  the  Quakers  to 
the  Christian  Indians. — The  Commission  at  the  mouth  of  the  Detroit. 
— Violent  debates  in  the  Indian  council. — Pipe's  spetcu  against  the 
Shawancse. — Failure  of  the  negotiations.— Wayne's  Legion  at  Green- 
ville.— A  township  donated  to  the  converts. — Description  of  Fairfield. 
— Wayne's  victory  at  the  Kapidsof  the  Maumee. — The  position  of  the 
British. — Anarchy  among  the  Western  Indians. — The  Delawares  re- 
leased from  their  position  as  women  by  the  Six  Nations. — Conclusion 
of  peace. — The  Western  posts  relinquished  to  the  Americans. 

After  severe  experiences  oft'  the  mouth  of  the 
Retreuche,  Zeisberger's  party  landed  on  the  sixteenth 
of  April,  and  came,  the  next  day,  to  Sally  Hand,  a 
colony  composed  of  English,  German,  and  French 
settlers.  Here  they  waited  for  the  arrival  of  the  rest, 
while  Senseman  and  Edwards  explored  the  river. 
Toward  the  end  of  the  month,  the  whole  congregation 
followed,  and,  in  the  beginning  of  May,  pitched  upon  a 
site  admirably  suited  to  their  wants.  It  lay  on  the  west 
side  of  the  river,  about  eighty-tive  miles  from  its  mouth, 
and  consisted  of  a  sandy  biuft'  more  than  seventy  feet 
high.  On  the  east  bank  were  three  large  bottoms  of 
the  richest  soil,  and  not  hard  to  clear;  while  numerous 


^^1 


111! 


y 


632 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


■  springs  gushed  into  the  river.     A  town  was  laid  out, 

•  which  received  the  name  of  Fairfield,  and  grew  rapidly. 
Farther  up  the  Retrenche.  w.ere...sevgr.al    Mousej'  and 
Chippewa  villages. 
With   these   neighbors    the   Mission    soon   came    in 

.contact;  and,  at  the  very  outset  of  its  work,  made  a 
discouraging  experience.  A  Mousey  captain  enticed 
ten  young  men  to  join  his  war-party.  It  is  true  the 
majority  of  them  came  back  again,  praying  to  be  for- 
given ;  and  the  captain  himself,  having  been  taken 
^.dangerously  ill,  was,  at  his  earnest  request,  brought  to 

'Fairfield,  where  he  expressed  the  most  agonizing  con- 
cern for  his  soul,  and  received  baptism  just  before  his 
death,  at  the  hands  of  Zeisberger.  But  yet  it  became 
evident  that  the  war  had  evoked  a  carnal  spirit  among 
the  young,  and  that  great  circumspection  and  watch- 
fulness would  be  required  on  the  part  of  the  missionaries 
to  lead  their  people  safely  through  these  evil  times. 

Active  military  operations  were,  however,  not  going 
on.  Congress  had  voted  another  army,  to  be  com- 
manded by  General  Wayne.  While  it  was  being  slowly 
raised,  various  attempts  were  made  to  bring  about  a 
pacific  settlement.  The  first  ended  most  disastrously. 
Major  Trueman  was  sent  by  the  President  to  negotiate 
with  the  savages.  From  Fort  Washington,  where 
Colonel  Hardin  joined  him,  he  took  his  way,  in  June, 

ito  the  Indian  country,  but  never  returned.  The  savages 
murdered  him  and  his  whole  party.  The  next  essay 
proved  more  successful.  General  Rufus  Putnam  and 
John  Ileckeweldor,  the  latter  appointed  Assistant  Com- 


DAVID  ZEISBEROER. 


633 


missipner  by  the  War  Department,  ventured  as  far  as 
Port  Vincennes,  en  the  Wabash,  where  they  held  a 
treaty  (September  24  to  27,  1792),  and  concluded  peace 
with  some  Wiachtenos,  Potawatomies,  Kickapoos, 
Kaskaskias,  and  Piankeshaws.  Sixteen  chiefs  accom- 
panied them  to  Philadelphia  to  visit  President  Wash- 
ington.* 

A  grand  council  of  nearly  all  the  Northwestern  tribes 
soon  after  convened  at  the  confluence  of  the  Maumee 
and  the  Au  Glaize,  at  which  Simon  Girty  was  the  only 
white  man  permitted  to  be  present.  By  request  of  the 
government,  however,  fcty  chiefs  of  the  Six  Nations 
attended,  and  earnestly  counseled  peace.  The  result 
was  that  the  Indians  agreed  to  hold  a  treaty,  next 
summer,  with  Commissioners  of  the  United  States.'' 

The  convv  rts  heard  of  these  negotiations  while  busily 
engaged  in  building  their  town  and  clearing  the  plau- 
ations.  Joseph  Brant  with  forty  warriors,  and  many 
o'her  parties  of  Indians,  passed  that  way  to  attend  the 
council.  Brant  told  Zeisberger  that  he  did  not  be- 
lieve the  negotiations  would  result  in  peace;  and  spoke 
rather  favorably  of  the  claims  of  the  United  States, 
although  he  was,  in  fact,  one  of  their  most  formi- 
dable opponents.  On  the  occasion  of  a  later  visit,  he 
confessed,  with  singular  far-sightedness,  that  the  war 
then  raging  would  be  the  turning-point  in  the  history 
of  the  American  aborigines,  and  would  end  in  their 
irremediable  ruin. 


J  -'■• 


'^ 


>  Rondthaler's  Life  of  Heckewelder,  116,  etc. 
»  Hildreth'8  U.  S.,  New  Series,  i.  380,  etc. 


ssm 


634 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


In  the  spring  of  the  following  year  (1793),  three  Com- 
miBsioners,  General  Lincoln,  Colonel  Pickering,  the 
Postmaster -General,  and  Beverly  Rudolph,  late  Gov- 
ernor of  Virginia,  with  whom  John  Heckewelder  was 
again  associated  as  Assistant  Commissioner,  set  out  to 
hold  the  proposed  treaty.  At  the  suggestion  of  the 
Six  Nations,  and  in  conformity  with  the  wishes  of  the 
Western  tribes  themselves,  several  Quakers  accom- 
panied them,  namely,  John  Parrish,  William  Savery, 
and  John  Elliot,  of  Philadelphia;  Jacob  Lindiey,  of 
Chester  County;  William  Ilartshorne  and  Joseph  Moore, 
of  New  Jersey.  Arrived  at  Niagara,  they  were  hos- 
pitably entertained  by  Colonel  Simcoe,  the  new  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor of  Upper  Canada,  at  his  seat.  Navy 
Hall. 

From  Niagara,  Heckewelder  paid  a  visit  to  Fairfield, 

I  arriving  quite  unexpectedly  on  the  thirteenth  of  June. 

;  Zeisberger  had  ten  days'  delightful  intercourse  with  his 

Jold  friend;  while  the  Indians  reaped  a  special  benefit. 

Finding  them  in  want  of  provisions,  as  their  last  year's 

crops  had  failed,  he  represented  their  necessities  to  the 

Quakers,  who  sent  them  an  order  for  supplies  to  the 

amount  of  one  hundred  dollars,  accompanied  with  a 

letter  of  good  wishes.' 


>  The  following  was  the  letter  {Original  letter,  G.  A.) : 

Detroit,  26th  of  the  6th  mo.,  1793. 

To  OUR  Brethren  the  Moravian  Indians,  settled  on  the  River  La 

Trench, 

Esteemed  Friends — We,  the  subscribers,  are  your  well-wishing 
Friends  of  the  people  called  Quakers.     We  have  left  our  homes  and 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


635 


Senseman,  who  had  gone  to  Niagara  to  negotiate 
with  the  Governor  for  a  grant  of  land,  and  had  there 


near  connections  in  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey,  in  and  near  Phila- 
delphia, with  no  other  motives  but  from  a  sense  of  Religious  duty  to 
endeavour  to  promote  peace  in  our  Country,  and  the  welfare  of  our  In- 
dian Brethren  in  general,  and  wo  particularly  sympathize  with  you,  as 
many  and  deep  have  been  your  trials.  Wo  are  thankful  there  is  yet  a 
little  Flock  of  your  people  preserved,  who  love  peace,  and  are  endeavour- 
ing to  pursue  it  in  the  Lord's  fear.  We  wish  and  pray  that  in  all  your 
afflictions  you  may  look  up  to  Him  for  his  blessing  and  support,  and  not 
sink  under  discouragement,  for  indeed  many  are  the  trials  and  afflictions 
of  his  Children  and  People  in  this  world.  We  hope  you  will  be  indus- 
trious in  your  business,  and  follow  peace  with  all  men,  pressing  daily 
after  a  life  of  purity  and  holiness,  that  so  your  Latter  end  may  be  glo- 
rious, is  the  sincere  desire  of  your  Brethren  the  Quakers.  We  are  also 
Men  of  peace  and  do  not  fight,  nor  go  to  war  on  any  occasion  ;  we  wish 
you  to  live  in  Love  one  with  another,  and  hope  you  may  he  now  settled, 
and  may  be  driven  about  no  more,  and  that  you  and  us  may  endeavour  to 
persuade  and  convince  other  warlike  Indians  by  our  example  and  by 
our  peaceable  and  godly  conversation  that  this  is  the  right  way. 

Wo  have  with  satisfaction  and  gladness  seen  five  or  six  of  your  People, 
who  informed  us  of  your  present  difficulty,  and  tho'  we  are  strangers 
here  far  from  home,  yet  as  a  small  testimony  of  our  sincere  Love  and 
esteem  for  you,  and  a  desire  for  your  preservation  and  prosperity,  havo 
allowed  our  mutual  friend  Matthew  Dolsen  here,  to  furnish  you  with 
provision  to  the  amount  of  One  Hundred  Dollars,  which  is  Forty  Pounds 
New  York  Currency,  on  our  account,  which  we  hope  will  bo  useful  to 
you,  and  a  token  of  our  regard  for  your  People.  With  Love  and  sin- 
cere regard  to  old  and  young,  male  and  Female,  we  subscribe  ourselves 
your  aflfectionate  Friends,  wishing  you  health  and  salvation. 

John  Parrish, 
Joseph  Moork, 
Jacob  Lindley, 
William  Savert, 

WiLLM.  HART.SaORNE, 

John  Elliott. 

P.  S. — Esteemed  Friend,  David  Zeisberger — Wo  havo  taken  the 
Liberty  to  direct  the  above  linos  to  thee,  desiring  thou  may  communi- 
cate them  to  tho  friendly  society  of  Indians  under  thy  care  generally. 

With  love  and  regard  to  thee  and  thy  wife,  tho'  strangers  to  most  of 
us,  we  are  thy  Friends. 


i 


li 


I  In: 


636 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


witnessed  the  satisfactory  interview  between  the  Com- 
missioners and  a  body  of  chiefs,  headed  by  Captain 
Brant,  the  representatives  of  the  nations  assembled  at 
the  Rapids  of  the  Mauraee,  brought  back  to  Fairfield 
flattering  hopes  of  a  permanent  peace.  In  a  little 
while,  however,  these  hopes  were  disappointed. 

Embarking  at  Fort  Erie  (July  2d),  the  commission 
reached  the  mouth  of  the  Detroit  River  in  safety. 
There  they  were  met,  toward  the  end  of  the  month,  by 
Pachgantschihillas  and  about  thirty  other  chiefs,  who 
came  to  inquire  whether  they  would  consent  to  the 
Ohio  as  the  boundary  line  of  the  Indian  territory.  The 
Commissioners  replied  that  this  was  impossible,  but 
ofl^ered  large  presents  if  the  nations  would  confirm  those 
limits  which  had  been  agreed  upon  at  the  treaties  of 
Forts  Mcintosh  and  Harmar.  This  answer  was  re- 
ported to  the  council  on  the  Maumee.  A  violent 
debate  ensued.  Some  were  in  favor  of  peace  on  these 
terms,  others  advocated  a  renewal  of  the  war.  To  the 
latter  party  belonged  the  Shawanese,  who  were  under 
the  evil  influence  of  Simon  Girty  and  other  British 
emissaries ;  among  the  former  Captain  Pipe  was  prom- 
inent. He  earnestly  contended  for  peace,  and  delivered 
a  scathing  rebuke  to  the  Shawanese. 

"  See  the  Shawanese,"  he  said,  turning  to  Captain 
Henry,  the  chief  of  the  Mohawks.  "  You  brought  him 
to  me  when  he  was  a  little  boy ;  you  gave  him  to  me, 
saying,  '  Have  mercy  on  this  child ;  receive  him  that 
he  may  live;  you  are  old,  and  he  may  help  you,  fetch 
you  a  drink  of  water  occasionally,  and   shoot  you   a 


DAVID  ZEISDEROER. 


637 


squirrel !'  Moved  with  pity,  I  consented  ;  received  the 
Sbawancse;  adopted  him  as  my  grandson,  because, 
without  a  single  friend  in  the  world,  he  went  about  for- 
saken and  forlorn.  I  kept  him  with  me;  I  instructed 
him  in  that  which  is  good;  I  educated  him;  he  was 
always  about  me.  But  no  sooner  had  he  reached  man- 
hood than  he  became  disobedient.  I  admonished  him; 
I  punished  him  ;  but  he  grew  more  wicked  continually. 
And  now  he  listens  neither  to  me  nor  to  any  one  else, 
but  does  evil  only.  Therefore  I  am  of  the  opinion  that 
the  Great  Spirit  did  not  create  the  Shawanese,  but  that 
the  devil  created  him."* 

After  protracted  discussions  of  this  character,  a  writ- 
ten speech  was  at  last  prepared  (August  13th),  denying 
the  validity  of  the  treaties  at  Forts  Mcintosh  and  Har- 
mar,  refusing  the  profi'ered  gifts,  claiming  the  Ohio  as 
the  boundary,  and  declaring  the  negotiations  at  an  end. 
This  speech,  which  bore  the  marks  of  British  influence, 
and  which  bad  been  worded  not  in  the  manner  usual 
among  the  nations,  but  with  an  insolence  characteristic 
of  Simon  Girty,  was  delivered  on  the  sixteenth  by  two 
young  Wyandots.  The  Commissioners  were  greatly  dis- 
appointed, but  sent  a  dignified  reply,  rehearsing  the 
pacific  efforts  made  by  the  United  States,  and  assuring 
the  tribes  they  would  now  have  to  bear  the  conse- 
quences of  their  own  folly. 


I'i 


I  n 


\ 


1  This  sarcastic  speech  was  reported  to  Zeisberger  by  Captain  Henry  ) 
himself.  It  referred  to  the  circumstance  that  when  the  Shawanese  were  ( 
but  a  remnant  in  Florida,  the  Mohicans  brought  them  to  Pennsylvania; 
and  induced  the  Delawares  to  adopt  them  as  grandchildren.  "" 


IHT' 


638 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


A  part}'  of  Mohawks,  Chippewas,  and  MohicaiiB,  re- 
[turning  from  the  treaty,  brought  the  first  news  to  Fair- 
field of  the  abrupt  close  of  the  negotiations  and  the 
renewal  of  the  war.  The  most  of  them  were  dissatisfied 
with  this  result,  the  entire  blame  of  which  they  laid 
upon  the  Shawanese,  Wyandots,  and  Twightwees. 

As  soon  as  General  "Wayne  had  been  informed  of 
what  had  taken  place,  he  hastened  with  such  troops  as 
he  had  to  Fort  Washington,  and  thence  marched  into 
the  Indian  country  (October  7).  Arriving  at  Stillwater 
Creek,  a  fork  of  the  southwest  branch  of  the  Miami, 
on  the  thirteenth,  he  constructed  a  fortified  camp,  on  a 
high  plain,  six  miles  in  advance  of  Fort  Jefiferson,  and 
called  it  Greenville.*  There  he  spent  the  winter,  with 
about  twenty-six  hundred  men. 

Amid  these  renewed  hostilities  the  refuge  in  Canada 
was  more  welcome  than  ever  to  the  Christian  Indians. 
It  promised  to  become  a  permanent  home.     In  January, 
(1794),  McNefi",  the  government  surveyor,  came  to  Fair- 
field, and,  under  instructions  from   Governor  Simcoe, 
/who  had  visited  the  settlement  and  expressed  his  best 
wishes  for  the  spread  of  the  Gospel,  laid  off  an  entire 
;  township,  twelve  miles  long  and  six  broad,  which  was 
I  donated  to  the   Mission,  the    deed  being   assigned  in 
I  trust  to  the  "  Brethren's   Society,"   in  London,   *'  for 
Propagating  the  Gospel  among  the  Heathen."* 


1 


1  On  the  site  of  the  town  of  the  same  name,  the  capital  of  Darke 
County,  Ohio. 

*  Simcoe's  Original  Letter.  G.  A.;  Draft  of  Address  of  Mission- 
aries.   G.  A. 


f-" , 


..'  /. 


v*/^.- 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


G39 


The  improvements  upon  this  tract  advanced  rapidly. 
Upwards  of  forty  houses  were  built,  forming  one  street, 
which  began  at  the  road  to  Detroit,  and  ran  southwest 
to  northeast.  On  the  north  side,  near  the  upper  end, 
stood  the  church,  beside  it  Zeisberger's  house,  and  im- 
mediately opposite  a  dwelling  occupied  by  Edwards 
and  Jung  in  common.  jS'ext  to  theirs  was  Sensemau's 
comfortable  home,  and  close  by  the  school-house. 
North  of  the  lower  end  of  the  town  lay  the  burial- 
ground.*  The  church,  dedicated  on  the  nineteenth 
of  October,  was  a  log  structure,  boarded,  with  win- 
dows framed  and  glazed,  and  a  small  steeple  with  a 
bell.  It  was  one  of  the  most  commodious  chapels 
belonging  to  the  Missiorx  in  the  West.  The  planta- 
tions embraced  several  hundred  acres;  and  the  entire 
tract  was  surrounded  by  white  settlers.  Some  of  these 
would  have  purchased  lots  if  Zeisberger  had  consented; 
but  he  held  that  the  land  given  by  government  con- 
stituted a  reservation  exclusively  for  the  use  of  the 
Indians. 

The  opening  spring  brought  many  messages  from 
the  hostile  Indians,  invoking  the  aid  of  their  Christian 
brothers  against  the  Americans.  Of  these  messages 
the  converts  took  no  notice. 

There  was  good  cause  for  the  anxiety  which  the 
tribes  manifested.  They  had  to  deal  with  a  man  of 
sound  judgment,  great  resolution,  and  indomitable  per- 
severance, who,  moreover,  took    every  precaution    to 


>  Plan  of  Fairfield.    B.  A. 


Q' 


>^. 


^'/    J 


\iy- 


640 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


avoid  sarprises.     As  soon  a8  the  season  permitted,  the 
Legion— the  name  by  which  Wayne's  army  was  kno  vn 
. — advanced  from  Greenville  to  St.  Clair's  l».ittle-field, 
I  and  built  Fort  Recovery.     This  was  attacked   by  the 
savages,  aided    b"  many  British  (June  13);    but  the 
assailants   suftert  .    a   terrible   repulse.     Reinforced  by 
eleven    hundred   volunteers    under    Scott,   from   Ken- 
tucky, the  Legion   again  advanced,  in   the  iirst  week 
of  August,  to   the    confluence  of  the  Au  Olaize   and 
/the  Maumee.     Here  was  the  "grand   emporium"   of 
the  Indians,  who  were  taken  by  surprise,  and  ll<^d  in 
.  the  utmost  confusion,  leaving  Wayne  in  possession  of 
(their  wide  fields  of  corn,  their  well-stocked  gardens, 
I  and  clusters  of  villages  extending  on   both  rivers  for 
several  miles.'    In  order  to  hold  so  important  a  posi- 
tion, he  erected  Fort  Defiance,  a  strong  stockade  post, 
and  between  it  and  Fort  Recovery,  built  Fort  Adams, 
on  the  St.  Mary's   River.     About  forty  miles  farther 
down  the   Maumee  are   rapids,  at  the  foot  of  which 
the  British  had  constructed  an  improved  fort.     Thither 
,  the  savages  retired.     Moved  by  the  humane  desire  to 
'  avoid   further    bloodshed,  Wayne   proposed    a   treaty. 
But  being  met  with  evasive  answers  ho  attacked  and 
completely  defeated  the  Indians,  in   full  sight,  of  the 
:  British  garrison.     This  battle  decided  the  fate  of  the 
•  Western    nations.      The    bow  of  their    strength   was 
!  broken. 

Of  all  these  events  Zeisberger  was  kept  informed  by 


»  Burnet's  Notes,  169. 


X 


DAVID  ZEISBEROER. 


641 


the  numerous  expresses  which  passed  through  Fairfiehl, 
on  their  way  to  British  posts.  The  day  before  the 
battle,  a  Chippewa  runner  appeared,  calling  all  the 
Indians  along  the  Retrenche  to  the  Maumee.  This 
message  was  sent  in  the  name  of  the  British  Colonial 
government,  whether  by  its  authority  or  not  remains 
uncertain.  At  the  same  time,  Sensoman  and  Jung, 
who  were  on  the  road  to  Detroit,  returned  with  the 
intelligence  that  it  was  impossible  to  reach  the  post, 
the  whole  country  being  roused,  and  the  British  militia 
called  out. 

The  prudence  with  which  "Wayne  acted  under  these 
circumstances  forms  an  unfading  leaf  of  his  laurels./ 
There  existed  provocation  enough  to  justify  him  in 
attacking  the  British  fort,  which  would  have  led  to  a 
new  war  with  England.*  He  saved  his  country  from  so^ 
great  an  evil,  and  yet  maintained  the  honor  of  its  flag 
and  made  its  cause  triumphant. 

The  defeat  of  the  Indians  brought  on  dissensions 
among  them,  and  quarrels  with  the  British.  Anarchy 
reigned  supreme.  The  Delawajes  were  in  a. miserable 
state.  Captain  Pipe,  the  most  illustrious  of  their  head-v 
menj_^nd  the  last  chief  identified  with  the  great  days  of 
the  Mission,  had  died  shortly  before  the  battle. 

It  wagi^jn  this  disastrous  period  of  their  history  that 
the_Six  Nations  conceived  the  idea  of  formally  releits- 
in^  them^frpm, their  position  as  women.     Joseph  Brant' 
w'as   the   master-spirit  on   the  oc  asion, — inaugurating 
ceremonies,   delivering   speeches,   and   causing  a  war-* 
club   to  be  presented  to   them  with   the  words,  "Gol 

41 


-■""^- 


642 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


forth,  now,  in  the  ifashion  of  a  man !"  But  the  Dela- 
;  wares  received  these  muranierics  very  ungraciously. 
! "  What  shall  we  do,"  they  said,  "with  this  murder- 
ous club,  except  to  use  it  against  you,  our  uncles,  who 
have  so  often  and  so  richly  deserved  such  treatment  at 
our  hands?" 
'  Zeisberger,  who  had  all  the  particulars  from  Brant 
himself,  explains  the  proceeding  as  an  attempt,  on  the 
part  of  the  Six  Nations,  to  entangle  their  old  enemies 
irreconcilably  with  the  United  States,  and  thus  to  debar 
them  from  the  benefits  of  the  peace  wbich  was  at  hand. 
Whether  this  be  correct  or  not,  it  is  evident  that  mis- 
chief of  some  kind  was  intended.  For,  in  the  following 
year,  when  Brant  was  on  his  way  to  the  treaty  with 
Wayne,  he  no  sooner  heard  that  the  Delawares  sus- 
pected him  of  a  plot  against  tlTeir  nation  than  he  pre- 
cipitately returned  home.' 

Misrule  and  disorder  continually  increasing  among 
them,  they  sent  an  urgent  message  to  William  Henry 
^     /Gelelemend  to   resume  his  office   of  chief.     In   reply 
he  reminded  them  of  the  testament  of  his  grandfather, 
Netawatwes,  appealed  to  them  to  accept  the  Gospel, 
and  declined  the  chieftaincy.    Famine  added  its  hor- 
rors to  their  national  distress,  and  extended  to  many 
\  other  of  the  Western  tribes,  so  that  their  sufferings, 
j  according  to  the   testimony  of  a  British  agent,  were 
■  unprecedented.     Many  Indians  died.     The  Nanticokes, 
/  although  not  from  this  cause  alone,  dwindled  to  four 
/  or  five  families. 


I  Zeisberger's  Journal,  Fairfield.    MS.  B.  A. 


()-. 


DAVID  ZEISDERQER. 


643 


AlJ_.tbcafi_experience8  inclined  the  nations  to  peace.  \ 
On  the  third  of  August,  1795,  a  treaty  was  concluded 
ttt  Greenville,  between  General  Wayne  and  the  Wyan- 
dots,  Delawares,  Shawaneae,  Ottawas,  Chippewas,  Pota- 
watomies,  Miamia,  Weas,  Kickapoos,  Piankeshaws,  Kas- 
kaakias,  and  Eel  River  Indians.  The  whole  eastern  and 
southern  portion  of  the  State  of  Ohio  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  United  States,  which  gavCj^as  an  ei^uiva- 
lent,  twenty  thousand  dollars  in  presents,  and  an  annual 
allowance  of  nine  thousand  five  hundred  dollars.  Thus 
the  Indians  ceded  a  much  larger  domain  than  the  Amer* 
lean  government  had  asked  for  before  the  war  began. 
They  were  the  more  willing  to  accept  these  terms, 
because  the  Western  posts  which  Great  Britain  still 
held  were  now,  at  last,  to  be  given  up  to  the  United  j 
States,  according  to  an  arrangement  effected  between  ' 
the  two  countries. 


I  I'M 


644 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OP 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 


FURTHER  STAY  OF.ZEISBERGER  AT  FAIRFIELD.-1795-1798. 


I  !.' 


t-tate  of  the  Mission. — Work  among  the  white  settlors. — Zeisberger's 
labors. — A  great  j.enitential  council. — The  grant  on  the  Tu.scarawas 
renewed  by  Congress. — Its  survey. — The  site  of  the  miissaore  after 
fifteen  years. — An  emigration  from  Fairfield  agreed  upon. — Benjamin 
Mortimer  joins  the  Mission. — His  sermon  to  the  Indians  prior  to  the 
departure  of  Zeisberger. — Senseman's  remarks  on  Zeisberger's  life- 
work. — Prosperity  of  the  town. — Zeisberger  leaves  for  the  Tuscara- 
was with  a  part  of  the  converts. 

The  war  prevented  an  increase  of  the  Mission.  The 
Gospel  was  preached  to  the  many  heathens  that  came 
to  Fairfield;  but  the  great  struggle  going  on  for  their 
Western  homes  filled  their  minds  to  the  exclusion  of 
higher  interests.  Some  were  occasionally  impressed ; 
yet  there  was  no  general  movement,  as  at  New  Salem, 
or  in  the  towns  on  the  Tuscarawas.  The  ears  of  the 
tribes  remained  heavy.  Among  the  white  settlers, 
however,  whose  numbers  continually  augmented,  espe- 
cially in  the  spring  of  1796,  when  the  Chippevvas  sold 
their  land  and  emigrated,  the  missionaries  had  fre- 
quent opportunities  of  doing  good.  Seuseman  and 
Jung  preached  to  them  statedly,  and  baptized  their 
children.  Jung  had  an  appointment  at  the  house  of 
Francis  Cornell,  a  settler  from  Connecticut,  where 
many  attended.  Senseman  gained  such  repute  by  his 
energy  and  eloquence,  that  he  was  almost  unanimously 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


645 


selected  as  a  candidate  for  the  Canadian  Assembly. 
He  declined  this  position  as  irreconcilable  with  his 
missionary  duties. 

The  spiritual  state  of  the  Mission  itself  was  encour- , 
aging.     To  this  Zeisberger  devoted  himself.     The  mode 
which    he    adopted   to    bring  the   subject  of  religion  \ 
directly  to  the  hearts  of  the  converts,  was  peculiar,  j  , 
lie  opened  a  correspondence  with  them  in  the  D  ila- 1  * 
ware    language.      Selectiug  an    appropriate   topic,  he  < 
expounded  it  in  missives  to  the  heads  of  families  and  j 
others.      These  replied  in  writing,  each  one  bringing  i 
him  a  letter,  which  he  read  aloud  and  commented  upon  ' 
in  the  presence  of  the  bearer.    He  also  ueveloped  the 
native  agency,  so  that,  both  among  men  and  women,  | 
national  assistants  labored  in  accordance  with  a  regular  ■ 
system.     The  young  people  manifested  great  interest  in 
the  school,  which  Senseman  taught.     He  had  pupils  ( 
who  wrote  a  better  hand  than  many  of  the  mercantile  < 
clerks  in  Detroit.  .1 

Toward  the  end  of  the  year  1797,  Zeisberger  per- 
ceived that  a  contaminating  influence  was  beginning 
to  proceed  from  some  of  the  neighboring  settlements. 
The  converts  grew  careless  and  fell  into  open  sin, 
especially  drunkenness,  of  which  even  national  assist-  s 
ants  were  guilty.  Determined  to  resist  such  evils  at 
the  very  outset,  he  convened  the  entire  membership, 
on  the  tenth  of  December,  in  a  special  council.  He 
addressed  them  with  all  the  fire  of  his  youthful  years, 
and  the  authoritative  dignity  of  his  matured  age,  be- 
neechiug  them  to  repent  and  turn  to  God.     The  eflfect 


X 


■■T 


\ 


'X 


i?r 


■I 


m 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


I  r, 

'    3  ;■ 

!  i  I 


was  wonderful.     The  Spirit  that  convicts  of  sin  was 
poured  out  upon  that  meeting.     A  general  and  deep 
.'  emotion  ensued.     One  by  one  the  Indians  rose  and  pub- 
;  licly  acknowledged  their  transgressions.     It  was  not  a 
mere  momentary  excitement.    The  weeping  and  mourn- 
ing and  rending  of  hearts  continued  for  days.     Little 
companies  gathered  for  prayer  and  confession.     Every 
;  face  was  full  of  shame;  every  mouth  overflowed  with 
I  self-reproach;    the  whole  town  presented  the  appear- 
)  ance  of  a  penitential  fast.     A  celebration  of  the  Lord's 
'  Supper  sealed  this  return  to  their  covenant. 

Meantime  the  "  Society  for  Propagating  the  Gospel 
among  the  Heathen  "  took  measures  to  secure  the  land 
granted  by  Congress.  This  grant  had  been  renewed  by 
an  act  dated  June  1st,  1796 ;  and  President  Adams  had 
issued  the  necessary  deed.^  In  the  following  spring 
(1797),  John  Heckewelder  and  William  Henry,  with 
whom  were  associated  as  assistants,  John  Rothrock  and 
Christian  Clewell,  of  Schoeneck.*  as  also  Kamp,  of 
Graceham,'  undertook  the  survey.  From  Charlestown, 
a  new  and  flourishing  settlen^ent  at  the  confluence  of 
the  Bufi'alo  Creek  and  the  Ohio,*  they  proceeded,  on 
the  seventh  of  May,  accompanied  by  John  Carr,  their 
guide,  John  Meesemer,  a  Tunker  preacher  of  Detroit, 
on  his  way  home,  and  two  Indians,  Captain  Bull  and 
Joseph  "White  Eyes,  a  son  of  the  celebrated  captain,  to 

»  Ettwein'8  Hist.  Statement.    MS.  G.  A. 

*  A  village  half  a  mile  north  of  Nazareth,  Pa. 
'  A  village  in  Frederick  County,  Maryland. 

*  Now  Wellsburg. 


T 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


647 


the  site  of  Gnadenhiitten,  where  they  arrived  on  the 
evening  of  the  eleventh.  Heckewelder  went  on  to 
Marietta  to  notify  General  Rufua  Putnam  and  his  son, 
who  were  to  represent  the  government;  while  the  rest 
prepared  for  the  survey.  The  site  of  the  town  was  a 
dense  wilderness  of  bushes  and  trees,  and  infested  with 
rattlesnakes.  Here  and  there  the  ruins  of  a  chimney 
projected  from  the  midst  of  a  blackberry  or  sumac 
thicket.  To  this  wilderness  they  set  fire.  When  it  ] 
had  been  consumed,  a  spectacle  presented  itself  which' 
awoke  thrilling  emotions  within  their  hearts.  The 
ground  was  covered  with  human  bones,  that  gave  evi- 
dence of  having  been  dragged  about  by  wild  beasts, 
and  formed  the  sole  relics  of  the  murdered  converts,  i 
For  the  first  time  in  fifteen  years  men  cared  for  the 
sepulture  of  these  remains.' 

The  party  having  been  joined  by  the  two  Putnams, 
and  Schmick,  of  Nazareth,  the  work  of  surveying 
began,  and  was  completed  by  the  beginning  of  July. 
Three  plats,  each  of  four  thousand  acres,  were  laid 
out,  and  called  respectively  the  Gnadenhiitten,  Schon- 
brunn,  and  Salem  tracts.*  Of  these  a  part  of  the  con- 
verts were  invited  to  take  speedy  possession. 

>  In  October,  1799,  the  bones  of  the  murdered  Indians  were  reinterred 
iu  one  of  the  collars  of  the  old  town  by  John  Heckewelder  and  David   ' 
Peter.     There  they  remain  to  this  day.     The  site  of  this  grave,  which  ■ 
had  been  intentionally  left  without  a  stone,  that  it  might  not  be  dese-  ' 
crated  by  evil-disposed  white  men,  was  lost  in  the  course  of  time.     In, 
1847,  however,  it  was  again  discovered.  An  association  has  been  formedj 
to  erect  a  monument  to  the  memory  of  the  victims,  and  inter  their  re-j 
mains  at  its  base.     That  this  design  may  soon  be  carried  out  is  the  wish' 
of  many  hearts. 

»  WUliam  Henry's  Journal.     MS.  L.  A.     Schmick,  Rothrock,  and 


ir' 


m 


'4^ 


V*- 


Wi 


648 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


But  it  was  not  until  the  next  year  (1798)  that  the 
necessary  arrangements  could  be  made.  Then  Hecke- 
welder  came  to  Fairfield  (May  22d)  with  instructions 
from  the  Board.  Pursuant  to  these,  it  was  agreed 
that  he  and  Edwards  should  proceed  to  the  Tuscara- 
was valley  with  a  few  pioneers;  and  that  Zeisberger 
;  and  Benjamin  Mortimer  should  follow  with  a  larger 
colony.  Mortimer  had  come  to  Fairfield  with  Ilecke- 
welder,  as  assistant  to  Zeisberger.* 

'  This  indefatigable  laborer  was  seventy-seven  years  of 
'  age,  and  might  well  have  left  new  enterprises  to  younger 
hands.  But  it  was  his  life-purpose  to  spread  the  Gospel 
among  the  Indians,  and  he  deemed  this  last  emigration 
a  joy  and  not  a  burden.  It  permitted  him,  moreover, 
to  end  his  days  in  that  valley  where  his  greatest  works 
had  been  performed. 

On  the  thirty-first  of  May,  Ileckewelder  and  Edwards, 
(together   with   Nicholas,   Leonard,  Renatus,   Bartholo- 
jmew.    Christian   Gottlieb,   and   Samuel,   all  of   whom 
were   native   members   of  th?    Mission,   left  Fairfield. 
(  Zeisberger  remained  until  the  middle  of  August,  trans- 
lating   into    Delaware    the    liturgical   services    of  the 


Clewell  had  made  an  attempt,  June  oth,  to  explore  the  site  of  Salem; 
but,  after  a  hard  day's  toil,  were  obliged  to  return  without  accomplish- 
ing their  object.  The  whole  country  was  ovorsrrown  and  the  trail  lost. 
The  next  day,  accompanied  by  William  Lu-iiry,  'ii  ,^.  ■>■.  ♦,  out  aguin, 
and  reached  the  spot  by  noon.  They  louud  vcxy  t^'-v  ri.''.aina.  The 
bottom  was  covered  with  a  thicket  of  scrub  oik.  knr.w.i  :\s  iJ.'j  -ed-jack. 
T[)e,sjM)L.^here  Salcm_3tood  wa  •  *'  Ucd,  in  liist.  i-'juntcy,  Aft  -^as^Toion, 
^-wjiere  the  swallow  used  to  live.  ' 

'  He  was  born  iu  England.  Subsequently  lue  lii-.n.ia  pastor  of  the 
Moravian  church  in  New  York  city,  where  ho  dkA  November  10th, 
1884. 


DAVID  ZEISBEUGER. 


649 


Church.  Oil  I'liesday,  the  twelfth,  Mortimer  delivered 
a  farewell  sermon  upon  the  words  of  the  apostle: 
"  Therefore  we  are  buried  with  him  by  baptism  into 
death  :  that  like  as  Christ  was  raised  up  from  the  dead 
by  the  glory  of  the  Father,  eveu  so  we  also  should  walk 
iu  newness  of  life.'"  His  theme  was,  diviue  grace  im- 
parted to  believers  through  baptism  into  the  death  of 
Jesus,  whereby  they  enter  into  a  communion  with  Ilim 
and  His  people,  and  are  strengthened  to  lead  a  new  life. 
Iu  the  course  of  his  remarks  he  said : 

"  For  a  number  of  years  you  have  constituted  one 
body,  as  you  moved  from  place  to  place.  Now  a  part 
of  you  are  to  begin  a  settlement  in  your  old  home, 
that  the  Gospel  may  spread  among  your  countrymen. 
Your  beloved  father.  David  Zeisberger,  will  likewise  go 
tojthe  Tuscarawas.  He  has  preached  to  you  the  whole 
counsel  of  God;  he  has  faithfully  made  known  to  you 
the  way  of  salvation ;  he  has  baptized  the  most  of  you 
into  the  death  of  Jesus;  he  has  consecrated  his  whole  life 
to  your  service,  gone  with  you  where  you  went,  and  en- 
dured with  you  what  you  suffered.  Love  to  the  Saviour 
and  to  your  houIs  prompted  him  to  do  all  this.  Ilis 
sharpest  reproofs  were  for  your  good.  Ttiat  some  of 
you  have  become  faithless  has  caused  him  many  a  sleep- 
less night  of  sorrow  and  of  prayer.  He  yearns  over  you 
all ;  and  his  heart's  desire  before  God  is  that  you  may  all 
kuow,  love,  and  serve  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Those  of 
you  who  remain  here  will  see  the  face  of  this  your  faithful 


f  * 


^  ! 


i   It 


t  ! 
'.   t 

'  5;  II 


St 


IKi 


>  Bomans,  vi.  4. 


\'- 


X- 


650 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


teacher  and  venerable  father  no  more.  But,  although 
you  be  bodily  separated,  remain  united,  I  beseech  you, 
with  him,  and  with  all  of  us  who  will  accompany  him, 
in  the  glorious  communion  of  saints.  In  that  commu- 
nion we  will  intercede  for  each  other,  and  by  the  grace 
of  God  continue  true  to  our  baptismal  vows." 

During  the  delivery  of  this  sermon,  the  deepest  feel- 
ing pervaded  the  hearts  of  the  people.  The  next  day 
Senseman  called  them  together  again,  and  spoke  once 

,  more  of  Zei&berger's  departure,  of  his  fearless  courage, 
his  self-sacrificing  spirit,  his  reaJiness  to  lose  his  life 
for  the  Indian's  sake,  and  of  all  :hat  had  rendere  1  illus- 
trious the  many  years  of  his  missionary  service.  In 
conclusion,  he  made  a  covenant  beiween  the  converts 
of  Fairfield  and  those  going  to  the  Tuscarawas,  to  the 
end  that  they  would  all  be  faithful  unto  death  and  meet 
again  around  the  throne  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb. 
Afterward,  the  Lord's  Supper  was  celebrated. 

In  reviewing  his  labors  at  Fairfield,  Zeisberger  had 
reason  to  be  encouraged.  He  left  the  Mission  in  a  pros- 
perous state,  spiritually,  and  the  town  growing  in  re- 
sources and  importance.  Three  hundred  acres  were 
under  cultivation ;  two  thousand  bushels  of  corn  were 
annually  furnished  to  the  Northwest  Trading  Company ; 
lan  extensive  trade  in  cattle,  canoes,  baskets,  and  mats 
:was  carried  on;   and  five   thousand  pounds  of  maple 

;  sugar  were  made  and  sold  every  winter.     Moreover,  the 
''\  station  was  well  calcuk>ted  to  become  the  starting-point 

}  for  other  Missions  in  the  Weat. 

^'"-   On  the  fifteenth  of  August,  the  whole  population  of 


V. 


D^F/Z)  ZEISBERGER. 


651 


'i 


:  n 

»1 


Fairfield  gathered  by  the  river  to  bid  farewell  to  their  ^ 
leader,  counselor,  and  friend.     He  came  among  them,  j 
and  grasped  each  one  by  the  hand  with  emotions  too  / 
deep  for  utterance.     Precisely  at   noon,  he   entered  a 
canoe,  paddled  by  three  young  Indians  who  had  begged 
for  this  hojjQr,  and  put  oiF  from  the  bank  amid  the  sobs) 
of  the  converts.     Thirty-three  of  them,  forming  the\ 
colony  for  the   Tuscarawas  valley,  followed  in  other 
canoes. 


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it    ' 


652 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


I 


CHAPTER   XLV. 


ZBISBERGER  RETURNS  TO  OHIO,  AND  FOUNDS  GOSHEN.— 1798-1807. 


fl 


Journey  to  the  Tuscarawas. — Detroit  in  1798. — Arrival  on  tint  Bcliiin- 
brunn  tract.— John  Hcckewelder  on  tlie  reservullon  us  iigtiiil  of  llio 
Society  for  Propagating  the  Gospel. — Goshen  foundcMl. — Increase  of 
emigrtttion. — A  prohibitory  liquor-luw  passed  ior  the  reservation  by 
the  Legislature  of  the  Northwest  Territory. — riritt  bi(|ili3nii*  ut 
Goshen. — A  part  of  the  reservation  lc?".ed  to  wliltn  si'ttlers. — Thu 
lirst  inhabitants  of  the  present  town  of  GnadenhUttou.— Zoisberger 
among  them  at  the  sacramental  table. — Lewis  Huebner  their  pastor. — 
Death  of  GottlobSonseman  and  William  Edwards. — The  new  council- 
fire  of  the  Delawares  on  the  White  River. — Kluge  and  Luckcnbach 
begin  a  Mission  among  them. — Indian  deputation  to  President  Jef- 
ferson.— Visit  of  the  Stockbridgc  Indians. — Denke  among  the  Chip- 
pewas. — Quakers  at  Goshen. — Contaminating  influence  of  the  traders. 
— Bishop  Loskiel  holds  a  missionary  conference  at  Goshen. — The 
church  lit  Bcorshobn. — George  Godfrey  MucUor. — New  Mi-^sions  on  the 
Pottquotting  and  in  Georgia.  -  Drunkenness  the  destroying  lico  of  the 
Indians  of  the  reservation. — Carnal  spirit  at  the  other  stations. — The 
Mi.ssions  among  the  Chippewas  and  on  the  White  River  broken  up. 
— Zeisberger's  health  fails. — Visit  of  Forestier  and  Cunow. — Zei.=ber- 
ger's  marvelous  deliverances  from  deadly  serpents. 


The  inhabitants  of  the  various  settlements  along  the 
Retrenehe,  numbering  more  than  one  hundred  families, 
hailed  the  missionary  canoe  as  it  passed  down  the  river, 
that  they  might  bid  farewell  to  Zeisberger  and  bring 
him  the  best  fruits  of  their  gardens  and  orchards.  The 
improvements,  which  everywhere  presented  themselves, 
;  filled  him  with  astonishment.  Sixteen  miles  below 
Fairfield  was  a  flour-mill ;   near  by  a  saw-mill ;  and, 


'    i 


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DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


663 


fourteen  miles  farther  down,  Dolson's  place,  an  inn  and 
farm,  the  proprietor  of  which  was  a  warm  friend  of  the 
Mission.  Hamlets,  embowered  in  fruit-trees,  lined  the 
banks  of  the  Detroit  above  the  town.  These  villasres 
were  inhabited  by  French  Canadians,  who  had  inter-', 
married  with  the  Indians,  and  formed  an  idle,  but  good-, 
tempered  and  jovial  race.  Detroit  itself  had  increased 
to  a  population  of  about  two  thousand  persons.  It 
was  now  in  the  hands  of  the  United  States,  and  com- 
manded by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Strong.  Opp(>«it©  to  it, 
on  the  Caiirtda  side,  tlie  English  were  building  a  town, 
and,  at  lint  nioulh  of  the  river,  Fort  Maldun,  oti  the 
Bite  of  the  "  Watch-Tower." 

Passing  tlio  outlet  (tf  the  Rouge,  a  place  whli'li  2eis- 
berger  had  cause  to  remember,  where  the  iiilsslonarjea 
had  camped,  seventeen  years  before,  shivering  and  dis- 
tressed, on  their  way  to  the  court-martial,  and  where 
the  Northwest  Trading  Company  now  had  its  ship-yard, 
the  colon}'  spent  two  days  at  Stony  Point,  and  reached 
Sandusky  Bay  on  the  first  of  September.  Thence  tlioy 
proceeded  to  the  site  of  New  Salem,  which  the  heathen 
Indians  had  destroyed,  and  buried  a  child  in  the  grave- 
yard, that  was  still  discernible.  Re-entering  the  lake, 
they  coasted  eastward  to  tiie  mouth  of  the  Cuyahoga, 
up  which  they  passed  to  the  ruins  of  Pilgerruh. 
Beyond  this  point  lay  a  wilderness  with  which  they 
were  not  familiar,  and  their  journey  became  very 
arduous.  The  river  was  shallow,  full  of  rocks,  and 
obstructed  by  gigantic  tree-trunks.  Fortunately,  how- 
ever, they  fell  in  with  Nicholas,  one  of  Ileckewelder's 


i  J;, 


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654 


L/Fi;  uliVi)   TIMES  OF 


party,  who  had  come  to  meet  them.  Guided  by  him, 
they  reached  the  portage  between  the  Cuyahoga  aud 
the  Tuscarawas,  on  the  waters  of  which  they  joyfully 
launched  their  canoes,  and,  after  a  sail  of  nine  days, 
entered  the  well-remembered  lake  and.  landed  by  the 
;  Beautiful  Spring  of  cM  Schonbrunn  (October  4).  ^This 
'  last  journey  which  .isberger  undertook,  tjirpugb.  the 
wilderness  pf  the  "West,  occupied  fifty-one  days. 

The    pioneer-party  had  encamped    on    the    site  of 
Gnadenhiitten,  where  Heckewelder's  house  formed  the 
nucleus  of  the  present  town.*    Heckewelder  took  up  his 
abode  there  as  agent  of  the  Socioty  for  Propagating  the 
Gospel,  and  was  not  any  longer  connected  with  the  Mis- 
sion.    Zeisberger's  colony  pitched  their  tents  near  the 
center  of  the  Schonbrunn  tract.     A  suitable  place  for  a 
permanent  settlement  was  found  on  the  river-bank,  oppo- 
site to  an  island  to  which  General  Putnam  had  given  Zeis- 
berger's name,  seven  miles  northeast  of  Gnadenhiitten, 
just  below  the  fork  in  the  present  New  Philadelphia 
Koad,  where  one  branch  crosses  Goshen  Hill  and  the 
Hill  Road  goes  up  a  gorge  in  the  mountains.    Here  a 
;  little  village  was  laid  out  and  called  Goshen.     Schmick 
'■■  and  the  brothers  Colver  having  arrived  from  Nazareth 
>  to  assist  in  the  work,  the  Mission  House  was  completed 
;  and  occupied  on  the  thirteenth  of  November.    A  tem- 
}  porary  church  was  erected  in  the  following  month.* 

1  Church  Book  of  Beersheha.  G.  A.  Heckewelder's  house  was  fin- 
ished September  9,  1798. 

»  Goshen  was  situated  in  Goshen  Township,  Tuscarawas  County,  on  the 
farm  owned,  in  1863,  by  Jacob  Keller.     East  of  the  New  Philadelphia 


i 


/. 


'    V 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


t   / 


655 


A  treaty  with  the  Southern  tribes  followed  that  of 
Greenville,  and  brought  about  a  pacification  of  all  the! 
Indians  (1796),  much  to  "Washington's  joy,  who  made 
this  one  of  the  special  objects  of  his  adininistratiou. 
The  result  was  a  rapid  development  of  the  IS'orihwest 
Territory,  into  which  a  stream  of  immigrants  bfgan  to 
pour  from  many  parts  of  the  States.  That  this  would 
bring  temptation  to  the  Christian  Indians,  past  experi- 
ence had  recorded.  It  is  true,  there  were  no  settle- 
ments nearer  to  Goshen  than  Charlcstown  and  Marietta, 
distant  respectively  about  sixty -five  and  fifty  miles. 
Nevertheless  it  waH  necessary  to  adopt  precautionary 
measures  in  time.  Accordingly  the  missionaries  sent  a 
memorial  to  Governor  St.  Clair  (October  28, 1798),  ask- 
ing that  they  and  their  successors  be  legally  authorized, 
"in  such  manner  as  to  his  wisdom  might  best  seem 
meet,  to  prevent  any  spirituous  liquors  from  being 
oftered  for  sale  or  barter,  or  used  as  an  enticement  to 
trade,  in  any  town  or  settlement  of  Indians  that  might 
be  made  under  their  direction  within  the  limits  of  his 
jurisdiction."  They  enforced  this  request  by  the  follow-; 
ing  considerations :  "  The  practice  of  introducing  spirit-; 
uous  liquors  into  Indian  towns  is,  in  its  consequences,! 


Eoad  18  a  frame  house  erected  over  the  cellar  of  Zeisherger's  dwelling. 
A  part  of  the  apple  orchard  remains  on  the  west  side  of  the  road. 

Zeisberger  visited  the  site  of  New  Schonbrunn,  November  11.  Single  i 
posts  of  the  garden-fences  formed  the  only  parts  of  the  town  that  were/ 
still  standing.  A  grtat  many  Indian  implements  and  vessels,  however, 
lay  scattered  on  the  ground.  The  place  where  Schonbrunn  stood  was, 
called,  in  that  country,  Tuppakin,  or,  by  some,  Opafcm,  or  the  Upperl 
Moldavian  Town.  The  whole  region  was  thickly  overgrown  with  bushes] 
and  rank  weeds. 


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33  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  873-4503 


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"fri-^-A^^Ki^AM^''''-'  4^'^   ■^iJ^.^^dX  .•   -^ 


656 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


highly  inimical  to  every  attempt  to  reform  and  civilize 

,  the  Indian  nations.    Not  to  enlarge  on  the  wickedness 

1  of  taking  advantage  of  the  weakness  of  a  race  of  our 

fellow-men,  for  purposes  of  deceit,  and  to  their  manifest 

destruction,  we  believe,  also,  that  the  habits  of  idleness 

and  vice  to  which  it  leads,  by  enervating  their  coniititu- 

tions,  and  diminishing  their  numbers,  are  inconsistent 

with  the  interests  of  that  very  trade  which  it  is  meant 

to  promote.     We  conceive,  therefore,  that  it  must  be 

the    ardent  wish   of   every   benevolent   and    patriotic 

mind,  that,  if  possible,  an  end  might  be  put  to  so  ira- 

I  moral  and  pernicious  a  practice."^    This  memorial  was 

t  signed  by  David  Zeisberger  and  Benjamin  Mortimer, 

as  also  by  John  Heckewelder,  in  his  capacity  of  agent 

of  the  Society.     In  response,  the  Governor  sent  a  mes- 

Isage  to  the  territorial  legislature,  which  passed  a  bill  in 

/harmony  with  the  wishes  of  the  missionaries.* 

Zeisberger  began  his  work  in  the  valley,  as  of  old, 
preaching  regularly  in  the  chapel,  and  conversing  upon 
religion  vrith  the  numerous  Indians  who  came  to  visit 
him.  His  venerable  age  and  earnest  words  made  a  deep 
impression  upon  their  hearts.  On  the  twenty-fourth  of 
;'  March,  1799,  he  baptized  Peraahoaland  and  his  wife,  as 
the  first  fruits  of  the  renewed  Mission.  She  was  the 
widow  of  his  old  friend  "White  Eyes.  Some  time 
after,  Hakinkpomsgu,  Captain  Pipe's  successor,  came 
to  Goshen.  William  Henry  Gelelemend  made  him  the 
I  bearer  of  a  message  to  the  Delaware  nation,  informing 


»  Copy  of  the  Memorial.    MS.  G.  A. 
>  Burnet's'Notes,  812  and  884. 


/^ 


w 


t,  t 


DAVID  ZEISDERGER 


them  of  the  return  of  the  Christian  Indians,  and  inviting 
them  to  frequent  Goshen  and  hear  the  Word  of  God. 

But,  however  auspicious  this  resuscitation  of  the 
missionary  enterprise  in  the  Tuscarawas  valley  at  first  / 
appeared,  the  entire  reservation  could  not  be  used  for 
the  Christian  Indians.  Hence  the  Society  for  Propa- 
gating the  Gospel  leased  a  part  of  it  to  settlers  from  the  | 
States,  some  of  whom  took  up  land  at  Gnadenhut- 
ten,  and  others  on  the  site  of  Salem.'    In  the  course 


1  As  this  is  a  point  of  local  interest  to  the  present  inhabitants  of  that 
portion  of  the  Tuscarawas  valley,  we  will  give,  in  this  note,  a  brief  his- 
tory of  the  first  settlements.     The  Society  had  foreseen  that  the  land 
could  not  all  be  used  by  the  Christian  Indians,  even  before  their  arrival, 
and  had  issued  a  circular  inviting  members  and  friends  of  the  Church 
to  settle  there  (Sept.  13,  1796).      Certain  conditions  were  fixed  upon 
which  lots  cf  100  to  150  acres  would  be  leased.     In  order  that  there 
might  be  no  misconception  concerning  this  point,  Bishop  Ettwein  drew 
up  an  historic  statement  (MS.  G.  A.)  setting  forth  the  principles  accord- 
ing to  which  the  Society  acted,  and  which  he  had  previously  explained\ 
to  A  committee  of  Congress  :  1st.  All  the  former  inhabitants  and  their  ) 
descendants,  together  with  Killbuclc  and  White  Eyes  and  their  descend-  \ 
ants,  should  have  land  rent  free,  as  long  as  they  remained  in  allegiance  ( 
to  the  United  States  and  observed  the  rules  of  the  Mission.    2d.  Land  •■ 
not  needed  by  the  Indians  was  to  bo  let  out  to  white  settlers,  the  rent  to  ', 
be  used  for  the  benefit  of  the  former,  in  providing  them  with  ministers,  i 
schoolmasters,  books,  and  churches.     He  adds:  "The  trustees  will  not,  > 
and  cannot,  mnke  any  other  use  of  the  produce  but  what  is  for  the  benefit  ;' 
of  the  Christian  Indians,  and  hold  the  whole  uudivided  for  them,  for-  ) 
ever,  in  performance  of  the  patent  or  deed  for  the  land.     No  part  can  ) 
be  given  away  or  sold."    In  response  to  the  circular  of  the  Society,  the  • 
first  to  arrive  were  Jacob  Bush  and  two  other  seUlers,  May  6, 1799.    On 
the  twenty-ninth  of  the  same  month  came  Paul  Greer,  Peter  Edmonds,  j' 
Ezra  "Warner,  and  Peter  Warner  from  Gnadenhiitton  on  the  Mahony;) 
and,  on  October  18th,  David  and  Dorcas  Peter  from  Bethlehem.     Peter} 
hud  been  appointed  to  take  charge  of  a  store  opened  by  the  Society 
Soon  after  more  .'amilies  arrived  from  the  Mahony.    The  first  teams; 
with  goods  reached  the  settlement  in  June,  Henry  Bollinger,  of  Naze-^ 
reth,  and  Jacob  Ricksecker,  of  Litiz,  being  the  drivers.    John  Juu^-( 

42 


658 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


of  the  summer,  Zeisberger  paid  them  a  visit,  and,  at 
their  request,  administered  the  Holy    Supper   of  the 
Lord  (July   13).      The  associations   of   Gnadcnhiitten 
awakened  such  deep  feelings  in  his  heart  that  he  deliv- 
ered an  address  full  of  sad  reminiscences,  and  yet  in- 
stinct with  unquenchable   faith.     For  the   little  band 
of  communicants   it   was  one  of  those  occasions   that 
\  memory  enshrines.'    Lewis  Huebner  subsequently  be- 
-came  the   regular  pastor  of  this  colony  (July,   1800), 
J  which  erected  a  church-edifice,  dedicated  by  Zeisberger 
|to  the  Triune  God,  July  10, 1803.=^ 

"While  God  thus  permitted  His  aged  servant  to  labor, 

'awhile  longer,  among  the  settlers  and  the  Indians,  two 

of  the  other  heroes  of  the  Western  Mission  were  called 

to   receive  their  crowns.     On  the  fourth  of  January, 

X1800,  Gottlob  Senseman  died  at  Fairfield:   and  on  the 

j'  ;  eighth  of  October,  1801,  William  Edwards,  at  Goshen, 

I  aged    seventy-eight    years.      Both    had    been    faithful 

I  coadjutors  of  Zeisberger.     They  had  toiled  and  suffered, 

reaped  and  triumphed,  together.     The  summons  came 

to   Senseman   in   the  midst  of  his  activity;  Edwards, 

broken  down  by  the  infirmities  of  old  age,  was  longing 

i  to  be  at  rest.     For  several  years  he  had  been  unable  to 


mann,  a  son  of  the  missionary,  was  sent  out  to  superintend  the  clearing 
of  the  liind,  and  bore  the  title  of  Steward.  ,  He  returned  to  the  States  in 
November. -p-CAftrcA  Book  of  Beers heba,  G.  A.,  and  various  MSS.  in  the 
Archives  of  the  Society  for  Propagating  the  Oospel. 

'  Church  Book  of  Beorsheba.    G.  A. 

*  Huebner  was  born,  August  8, 1761,  at  Nazareth,  where  he  was  edu- 
cated. Prior  to  his  emigration  to  the  West,  he  was  pastor  of  various 
Moravian  ciiuiches  in  Pennsylvania,  at  Bethel,  York,  and  other  places. 


DAVID  ZEJSBERGER. 


659 


attend  to  his  duties,  but  declined  retiring  to  the  States.^ 
He_.wished_to_die  among  the  Indians.  "^ 

About  this  time,  the  Delawares  were  trying  to  kindle 
a  national  council-fire  on  the  White  River.     Tedpachxit 
was  their  chief,  and  they  had  six  towns,  of  which  t^^e 
large  ••  were  Woapikamikunk,  Monsey- Anderson,  and 
Sarah  "^own.     From  these  villages  there  came,  at  last, 
an  answer  to  the  speech  of  Geleleraend,  sent  a  yearj 
previously.     The  tribe  congratulated  the  converts  upon  ■• 
their  return  to  the  Tuscarawas,  and  expressed  a  desire ', 
for  white  teachers  and  a  Christian  colony.     This  wish  / 
having  been  reported  to  the  Board,  John  Peter  Kluge*" 
and  Abraham  Luckenbach^  were  appointed  to  begin  a  1 
Mission.     They  spent  the  autumn  and  winter  of  1800!^'    <• 
at  Goshen,  studying  the  Delaware  language  under  the 
instructions   of  Zeisberger,  and   proceeded,  in    spring,/ 
to  the  White  River,  with  fifteen  converts,  where  they'; 
establitihed  themselves  twenty  miles  below  WoapikamiJ 
kunk. 


/ 


1  Born  October  3, 17G0,  at  Gumbinnon,  in  Prussia.  In  1780,  he  joined 
the  Moravian  Church  at  Klcinwolke,  Saxony,  and  in  1794  wont  to  Suri- 
nam, as  a  missionary  to  tiie  Arawack  Indians.  In  1800,  he  camn  to  the 
United  States  and  served  the  Indian  Mission.  After  leaving  the  West 
ho  was  pastor  of  various  Moravian  churches,  and  died  at  Bothlohom 
January  30,  1849,  in  the  eighty-first  year  of  his  age. 

'  Born  Mjfy  5,  1777,  in  Leliigh  Co.,  Pa.;  entered  Nazareth  Hall,  a 
boarding-school  for  boys,  at  Nazareth,  Pa.,  as  a  teacher,  in  1797;  be- 
came a  missionary  among  the  Indians  in  1800,  and  labored  as  such,  i 
with  great  faithfulness,  at  various  stations  for  forty-three  years,  when/, 
lie  retired  to  Bethlehem,  whore  he  died  March  8,  1854.     He  edited  they' 
second  edition  of  Zeisberger's  Delaware  Hymn  Book,  and  published! 
"Select  Scripture  Narratives  from  the  Old  Testament  translated  into.v 
Delaware."  J 


* 


v.. 


660 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


iv 


I 


Many  hopeful  signs  followed  the  birth  of  thisnew 
enterprise.  In  November,  1802,  twelve  Delaware  chiefs, 
among  them  Tedpaehxit  himself,  and  the  representa- 
tives of  ten  other  nations,  arrived  at  Goshen,  on  their 
way  to  Washington,  to  visit  President  Jeflferson,  and 
consolidate  the  amity  subsisting  between  the  United 
States  and  ihe  Indians.'  A  few  months  later,  the  East 
responded  to  this  act  of  friendship  on  the  part  of  the 
'West,  and  there  appeared  a  deputation  of  Stockb ridge 
•'Indians,  headed    by  Hendrich  Aupaumut    and    John 

■  Metoxen,  who  had  been  educated  at  Bethlehem,  going 
"  from  tribe  to  tribe,  throughout  the  territory,  and  exhort- 
I  ing  their  brothers  of  eveiy  name  to  receive  the  Gospel 

■  and  adopt  the  ways  of  civilization  and  peace.*    In  the 
,.^/eame  year,  Christian  Den^e,  who  had  succeeded  Sense- 

[man  at  Fairfield,  and  with  whom  another  new-comer, 

1  Oppelt  by  name,  was  associated,  set_up  a  cabin  among 

tbeChippewas^on  the  Jon^uahamiky  \n  Jhe  midst  of 

eight  villages,  and  preached  Christ ;  while  a  young  man 


from  Fulneck,  in  England,  John  Ben  Haven,  reached 
Goshen,  eager  to  assist  in  the  work  of  the  Lord.  Nor 
was  interest  in  the  natives  of  the  West  confined  to 
the  Moravians.     The  year  after  Zeisberger's  arrival  at 


1  The  interpreter  of  this  party  was  John  Conner,  a  son  of  Richard, 
born  at  Schonbrunn,  and  baptized  by  Zeisberger. 

»  These  Indians  lived  at  New  StockbriJgc,  in  Massachusetts.  Their 
clan  was  composed  of  Mohicans  and  otiers,  with  whom  had. amalga- 
mated the  descendants  of  Brainerd's  New  Jersey  Indians,  who  had  Bold 
their  land  to  that  State.  They  were  Christians;  engaged  in  farming; 
and  had  a  missionary  among  them,  named  Sargent,  a  Congregationalist, 
who  had  devoted  his  whol"  life  to  this  remnant.  John  Konkaput,  a 
former  pupil  of  Nazareth  Hall,  lived  among  them. 


going 


fj 


-.^. 


'.^ 


r 


Goshen,  an  aged  Quaker  preacher,  with  six  members  1 
of  his  Society,  came  to  consult  him  upon  the  best  mode^ 
of  evangelizing  the  Indians,  in  view  of  extensive  Mis- 
sions which  his  people  wished  to  inaugurate  among) 
the  Chippewas  and  Delawares. 

All  these  efforts  to  spread  the   Gospel  filled    Zeis- 
bcrger's  heart  with  joy.     The  prospects  for  a  general 
conversion    of  the   Indians   seemed   to    him  to  have 
been   never    more  favorable.      He   took  new  courage  \     i 
and  labored  with  fresh  zeal ;  baptizing  converts,  among  r 'X    '' 
them  Joseph  White  Eyes,  a  son  of  the  captain;  finish-     .-^ 
ing    the    manuscript    of   his    Delaware    Hymn    BookjL/j^ 
(1802);  and  instructing  the  various  young  missionaries  I      ,. 
who    entered    the    field.*      The    only  drawback   from" 
such  cheering    experiences    was    the  introduction   of  |    ^y  .•  , 
ardent  spirits  by  traders,  in  spite  of  the  prohibitory  law  I   y  /  ''^v-u,, 
and  the  prompt  measures  which  Zeisberger  adopted,  /  ?*  '  '^r4>^ 
who,  on  one  occasion,  seized  the  casks  and  had  them/  '  '-iwc   v. 
emptied  into  the  river.     These  grasping  and  unprinci-l  ^J.    ^  - 
pled  men  succeeded  in   eluding  his  utmost  vigilanc^,^    —^    "^'-h' 
and  the  Indians  became  contaminated. 

Meantime  the  Board,  which  had  so  long  and  faith- 
fully directed  the  affairs  of  the  Mission,  had  undergone 
an  entire  change  of  members.  Ettwein  had  died  at 
Bethlehem  (January  2,  1802);  Schweinitz  at  Herrnhut, 
but  four  years  after  entering  the  Directory  of  the 
Unitas  Fratrum;    and  Huebner  had  become  a  mem- 


1  At  the  closcof  1800,  the  chtfrjkftt  Goshen  courit 
the  largest  number  that  Mission  ever  had. 


LJBOUls, 


J 


if 


I 


i 


h  Si 


:l  .;  'r. 


(-'■.       •' 


0.    '  -  A'  ^ 


662 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


II 

:'l 

ill 

i  J,ft: 

ber  of  the  same  body.     Bishop  Loskiel,'  the  historian  of 

the  Indian  Mission,  was  now  President  of  the  Board, 

and  John  Gebhard  Cunow  had  taken  Schweinitz's  place. 

In  the  autumn  of  1803,  Loskiel  paid  an  official  visit 

/to   Goshen ;    and    held    a   conference    of   missionaries 

('(October  10  to  21),  which  was  attended  by  Schnall,  as 

I  the  deputy  from  Fairfi^id,  who  had  recently  joined  that 

'  post.     The  whole  work  was  fully  discussed,  and   a  re- 

';  newal  of  the  Mission  at  New  Salem  determined  upon. 

Zeisberger  gave  his  matured  experience,  and  many  a 

word  of  advice  and  monition  fell   from  his  lips.     He 

i  spoke  in  particulrr,  and  very  pointedly,  upon  the  do- 

jgeneracy  of  the  younger  missionaries  when  on  journeys. 

[Formerly,   he    said,  evangelists  went  out    into  every 

ipart  of  the  wilderness  with    scanty  provisions    but   a 

'firm  trust  in  God;    now  well-laden   pack-horses  were 

J  deemed   essential.     Hence   exploratory  tours,  to   look 

':  up  new  place":  where  the  Gospel  could  be  preached, 

(  had  almost  come  to  an  end.     At  the  conclusion  of  the 

conference,  Bishop  Loskiel   ordained   Haven  (October 

j21,  1803),  the   first   ordination   ever  witnessed   by  the 

•  George  Henry  Loskiel,  horn  November  7,  1740,  at  Angermundo,  in 
Ourland,  the  son  of  a  Lutheran  minister,  joined  the  Moravian  Chun  li 
'in  1759,  and  filled  various  oflSoes  until  1782,  when  he  became  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Domestic  Mission  in  Livonia,  ani  agent  for  the  Unitas 
Fratrum  in  Russia.  During  this  period  he  wrote  his  History.  In 
;■]  ^1789,  ho  became  pastor  of  the  church  at  Gnadenfeld,  Silesia,  and  sub- 
sequently of  other  German  churches.  In  1802,  he  was  consecrated  a 
bishop  and  caoie  to  America,  as  President  of  the  Board,  from  which 
be  retired  in  1810,  and  lived  at  Bethlehem,  where  he  received  an  ap- 
pointment to  the  Directory  in  Europe,  in  1812,  but  could  not  leave 
America  on  account  of  the  war  and  his  failing  health.  He  died  February 
23,  1814. 


DAVID  ZEISDERQER. 


663 


I 


Indians;    and    distribnted    Zoisberger's    Hymn    Book, 
wbich  had  bcen^j)rintedjjt_PJiila^elph 

Anotb'ir  result  of  bis  visit  was  the  religious  develop- 
ment of  the  colony  of  white  settlers.     In  response  to 
the  earnest  application  of  those  living  on  the  west  side 
of  the  Tuscarawas,  he  gave  them  authority  to  begin 
an   organization  of  their  own.      They  built  a  second] 
Moravian  church,  which  was  dedicated  (December  15,} 
1805),  in  the  presence  of  about  two  hundred  persons,  ; 
by  Zeisuerger,  who  performed  the  act  with  patriarchal  i 
unction,  Oft'ering  up,  says  Ileckewelder,  a  prayer  of! 
extraordinary  fervor.     This  station  received  the  name 
of  Beersheba,*  and  was  in  charge  of  George  Godfrey 
Mueller,    Iluebner    having    been    recalled.       Mueller^ 
preached,  statedly,   in  English  at  Beersheba,   and  iiil 
German  at  Gnadenhlitten.* 

In  the  spring  of  1804,  Oppelt  and  Haven  led  out  a"] 

colony  from  Fairfield,  and  began  the  enterprise,  pro-  (. 

jected  on   the  Pettquotting,  near  to   the  site  of  Xewj 

Salem.    Meantime  John  Joachim  Ilagen  joined  the  Mis-  \ 

eion   at  Goshen;    and  AbrahaniSteinei\ and.  Gottlieb/ 

'  ■  '      1 
By'.ian   commemied  a  work  among  the  Cherokees  ofV 

Georgia  (1801),  after  Steiner  and  Frederick  de  Schwei-I    ■ 

nitz  had  undertaken  two  exploratory  tours  through  theirj 

country  (1799  and  1800). 

1  It  was  situated  on  the  west  side  of  the  Tuscarawas,  in  Clay  Township, 
Tuscarawas  County,  on  the  farm  now  (18C3)  owned  by  Benedict  Gross. 

»  Church  Book  of  Beersheba.  G.  A.  Mueller  was  born,  May  22,  1762, 
at  Hennersdorf,  near  Herrnhut,  in  Saxony.  He  immigrated  to  America 
in  1784,  and  was  pastor  of  various  Moravian  churches  prior  to  his 
appointment  to  Beersheba. 


»... 


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£     I 


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QJ-4 


.y.  \  '.~-'--c.,ii^  'v 


'"'  /-./.'X  ^'- 


/664 


V   \^ 


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LIFE  AND   TIMES  OP 


But  this  rapid  iDcreose  of  the  Indian  Mission,  which 

now  numbered  twelve  laborers  and  six  stations,  was  its 

Uast  spasmodic  effort  to  subdue  the  aboriginal  domain, 

Mand  bring  its  natives  under  the  swa^  of  righteousness 

and  truth.     The  very  next  year  (1805)  brought  on  a 


mournful  change. 
I  In  consequence  of  the  influx  of  settlers,  the  prohib- 
I  itory  law  could  not  bo  carried  out  on  the  reservation. 
j  Not  only  passing  traders,  but  its  near  neighbors, 
'(tempted  the  Indians  in  every  possible  way.  They 
I  looked  them  up  in  the  forest  especially,  when  hunt- 
I  ing  or  sugar-boiling,  supplied  them  with  liquor,  and 
I  then  entrapped  them  in  bargains  which  were  as  ad- 
j  vantageous  to  themselves  as  they  were  ruinous  to  the 
natives.  A  regular  gang  of  thieves  and  desperadoes 
'infested  the  vicinity  of  Goshen,  who  worked  incalcu- 
]  lable  injury  to  the  Mission. 

'  Durmff  the  Holy  Passion- week,  most  of  the  converts 
were  intoxicatejj.  Zeisberger  did  what  he  could  to 
stop  ^e  evil;  and  the  Indians  gave  earnest  promises 
to  reform.  But  a  demon  had  been  let  loose  among 
them,  and  they  fell  into  his  power  so  often  that  drunk- 
^enness  became  the  mortal  sin  and  the  destroying  vice 
\  of  the  little  flock.  Some  of  them,  indeed,  like  Gelele- 
mend,  remained  faithful  to  the  last ;  and  the  majority 
of  them  erred,  not  with  premeditation,  but  through  that 
want  of  stability  which  is  everywhere  characteristic  of 
the  aborigines,  as  soon  as  they  meet  the  white  man 
holding  out  the  inebriating  cup. 

This  state  of  affairs  continued  to  grow  worse.   Indians 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


665 


from  beyond    the   reservation    in3titute(l   carousals  at  \ 
Goshen,   defying  all   control;    and,   in   the   course  of 
time,  the  prohibitory  law  w&b  repealed,  at  the  instance  ! 
of  traders,  as   being  an   infringement  on   the   rights  ! 
and  liberties  of  a  free  people.    At  the  other  stations,  ( 
too,  a  carnal   and   rebellious    spirit  manifested  itself. 
Hitherto,  amid  the  greatest  trials  of  the  Mission,  even  \ 
when  it  was  reduced  to  a  mere  handful,  it  had  remained! 
vigorous,  because  of  its  faith  and  spiritual  life.     Butl 
now  it  was  shorn  of  its  strength,  and  its  glory  was  de-  i 
parting,  because    inward    corruptioa  preyed   upon  its  i 
vitals.  I 

Other  distressing  experiences  occurred.  In  1806,' 
Denke  left  his  post,  on  account  of  the  ill-will  yvhicb' 
the  Mission  was  exciting  among  the  Chippewas,  with-j 
out  having  gained  a  single  convert.  At  the  same 
time  excesses  broke  out  among  the  Delawares  on 
the  White  River.  Incited  by  tha^t  notorious  prophet 
and  fierce  warrior,  Tecunigeb,  the  young  men  of  the 
nation  usurped  the  government,  asserting  that  there 
were  sorcerers  at  work  whose  arts  must  be  suppressed, 
and  murdered  Joshua,  a  worthy  and  consistent  mem- 
ber of  the  Christian  colony,  throwing  his  body  into 
the  flames.  The  same  fate  befell  their  aged  chief, 
Tedpachxit,  whose  own  son  was  a  ringleader  in  these 
outrages.  Kluge  and  Luckenbach  were  forced  to^ 
Abandon  the  Mission.  In  the  following  year  (1807), 
the  contaminating  influences  cf  a  debauched  clan  of 
Monseys,  as  well  as  the  alienation  of  the  land  to  white 
settlers,  broke  up  the  station  on  the  Pettquotting.    The 


1^- 


ill 


ij 


0    '  / 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 

few  converts  that  were  left,  removed  to  the  west  bank 
of  the  Sandusky  River. 

All  these  events  overwhelmed  Zeisberger  with  such 
^poignant  sorrow,  that  his  health  began  to  fail,  and  he 
I  often  expressed  a  desire  to  depart  and  be  with  Christ. 
In  June,  1807,  Charles  de  Forestier,  a  member  of  the 
Directory  in  Europe,  on  an  official  visit  to  t)iO  Moravian 
churches  of  America,  came,  with  John  Gebhard  Cunow, 
to  cheer  him;  but  he  had  little  to  say  to  them,  and 
mostly  kept  his  bed.  His  eventful  career  was  drawing 
to  a  close. 

And  yet  even   now  that  particular  providence  was 

displayed   which   had  accompanied    him    through   the 

world,  from   his  infancy  to   his  hoary  age  —  from   the 

i  time  his  parents  fled  with  him  out  of  Moravia  to  the 

■  days  in  which  he  was  to  be  set  free  forever  from  bond- 

(  age  in  every  form.     In  the  course  of  his  long  abode 

\  in  the  wilderness,  he  had  been   often  delivered  from 

I  the  murderous  hands  of  savages ;  but  his  escapes  from 

deadly  serpents    had  been    almost    numberless.      The 

last  of  such  deliverances  occurred  during  the  summer. 

\  One  morning,  as  he  woke  from  sleep,  he  found  that  a 

|hnge  rattlesnake   had  been   coiled  up,  all  night  long, 

beneath  the  pillow  on  which  his  head  had  been  resting. 

J  If  ever  the  promise  given  by  the  Lord  Jesus,  touching 

one  of  the  signs  which   should  "follow  them  that  be- 

lieve,"  namely,  "they  shall  take  up  serpents,"  was  ful- 

i  filled  since  the  apostolic  age,  such  a  fulfillment  may 

1  be  found  in  David  Zeisberger's  life. 


DAVID  ZEISDERQER. 


G67 


CHAPTER   XLVI. 


i 


■  If 


THE  LAST  YEAR  OF  ZEISBERQER'S  LIFE.— 1808. 

Zcisborgor's  literary  labors. — Indians  from  Pettquotting  at  Goshen. — 
Tlioir  scandalous  bohavior. — Zoii-borgcr'.s  last  public  discourso  n  de- 
nunciation of  thoir  conduct. — His  healtb  fails. — His  testimony  respect- 
ing his  life  and  his  hopes  in  view  of  death. — Interview  with  tho 
Christian  Indians. — Farewell  to  tho  Mist'on  family. — Ili.s  suti'erings 
and  death. — A  review  of  his  work  among  the  Indians. — Sketch  of  his 
character  by  Heckewelder  and  Mortimer. — His  funeral  and  interment. 

Zeisberger's'  general  health  grew  better,  but  the  in-\ 
firmities  of  old  age  began  to  distress  hira.  His  hearing  ! 
was  impaired,  and  his  eyesight  fast  failing.  He  could 
no  longer  read  or  write.  This  was  a  heavy  trial,  but  he  ; 
thanked  God  that  it  had  been  withheld  until  his  literary' 
labors  were  completed. 

Of  these,  besides  the  Hymn  Book,  the  most  impor- 
tant was  a  translation  into  Delaware  of  Lieber/cUlm's 
Harmony  of  the  Four  Gospels,  a  work  that  cost  him  in- 
finite trouble,  and  upon  which  he  expended  the  greatest ,' 
care.  He  aleo  finished  his  Delaware  Grammar,  which 
was,  however,  never  printed.  Of  his  Spelling-Book,  he\ 
edited  a  second  edition. 

He  now  often  spoke  of  dying,  and  longed  to  b*^  at 

1  Mortimer's  Journal,  MS.  L.  A. ;  Heckewelder's  Biographical 
Sketch;  Mueller's  Diary  of  Beersheba,  MS.  G.  A.;  Mortimer's  Nar- 
rative of  Zeisberger's  Last  Days  and  Characterization,  appended  to 
Heckewelder's  Sketch. 


,X 


r 


668 


LIFE     ND   TIMES  OF 


rest.     Whenever  Mortimer,  or  others,  expressed  a  hope 
that  he  would  he  spared  awhile,  he  replied:   "Why 
; shall  I  stay  here  ?    I  can  be  used  no  longer.    My  work 
J.  is  done." 

About  raid(^ammer,  forty  Indians  from  Pel tquotting 

H^  arrived,  for  the  most  part  heathens,  with  the  intention 

of  staying  at  Goshen  for  some  time.     Several  weeks 

•  JK  'A'v'     l^ter,  they  were  joined  by  a  second  party,  so  that  the 


1 J 


Mr 


V 


V 

■/. 


%^ 


Y 


f 


/' 


/ 


village  was  full  of  visitors.  Gelelemend  welcomed 
them  in  Zeisberger's  nam^,  but  besought  them  to  ab- 
stain from  strong  drink.  "  Your  aged  father  cannot 
bear  to  see  you  intoxicated,"  he  added.  "  It  pierces  his 
i^  >r  heart.  You  will  shorten  his  days  if  you  give  way  to 
this  sin."  They  promised  to  avoid  everything  that 
would  grieve  him.  Not  long  after,  however,  a  boat 
came  up  the  Tuscarawas  laden  with  rum.  The  Pett- 
quotting  Indians  were  out  hunting  ;  but  they  no  sooner 
heard  of  it  than  they  forgot  their  promises,  flocked  to 
the  river,  like  vultures  around  carrion,  and  began  a 
carousal  so  wild  and  fearful  that  the  Goshen  converts 
fled  to  the  woods,  and  the  neighboring  settlers,  seizing 
their  rifles,  hastened  to  guard  the  Mission  propeity  and 
protect  the  missionaries. 

Soon  after  this,  a  part  of  the  savages  left  Goshen ; 
but  the  rest  continued  in  debaucheries  of  every  kind. 
This  stirred  up  the  old  fire  within  Zeisberger's  heart. 
Summoning  all  the  Indians,  both  converts  and  heathens, 
to  the  chapel,  he  addressed  them  in  substance  aa 
follows : 

"  When  our  friends  from  Pettquotting  came  here,  we 


N. 


^■<i 


t   XM^'U. 


4^ 


IMr«iMtau««{Wi*  :a  n»- 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


669 


admonished  them  to  lead  a  sober,  righteous,  and  godly 
life,  while  at  Goshen.  They  promised  to  do  so,  but  they 
have  not  kept  their  promise.  Therefore  I  herewith 
notify  them,  that  the  time  has  come  for  returning  to 
their  own  lodges. 

*'  But  this  is  not  all  I  have  to  say.  There  is  a  house 
here  in  which  the  following  persons" — mentioning  them 
by  name — "  are  living,  who  have  given  themselves  up 
to  every  kind  of  vice.  They  act  like  wild  beasts,  and 
not  like  men.  They  do  not  belong  to  our  people ;  aq,d 
yet  they  want  to  be  masters  in  this  town.  Therefore 
I  herewith  command  these  persons  instantly  to  leave 
Goshen,  and  never  again  to  show  themselves  among  us. 

"  Before  they  go,  however,  I  will  add  a  few  words  for 
their  special  benefit,  and  in  the  way  of  warning  for  you 
all.  As  a  general  thing,  your  teachers  speak  kindly  to 
you,  cheer  and  comfort  you,  and  tell  you  of  the  love  of( 
God.  But  1  wish  you  to  know  that  the  Bible  contains 
no*^  only  sweet  promises,  but  also  fearful  denunciations 
upon  the  children  of  darkness,  and  says,  particularly, 
that  neither  drunkards,  nor  harlots,  nor  fornicators,  nor 
murderers,  nor  evil-doers  of  any  kind  will  inherit  the 
kingdom  of  God,  but  will,  unless  they  repent,  be  cast, 
with  the  de'  od  his  angels,  into  hell-tire,  where  they 
will  be  tormented  for  ever  and  ever,  without  the  possi- 
bility of  escape,  or  the  hope  of  salvation.  I  wish  j'ou 
to  hear  this,  once  more,  from  my  lips  C"^.  you  leave  this 
place ;  so  that,  on  the  day  of  judgment,  you  may  not 
bring  forward  as  excuse  for  your  wickedness  that  I  and 
your  other  teachers  did  not  tell  you  the  consequences 
if  you  persist  in  your  present  course." 


li 


I  sj 


\% 


II 


f  I 


670 


I  •tl^i'  ,*i  \        ■'  •■  >■'         C'i^-\.yC-(f'i-'\A^^'t-CL^t.^-' 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


\ 


J 


} 


This  was  tbe^Jast^  j^^ubljcaddress^  ever  delivered  by 
Zeiaberger^  After  having,  for  more  than  sixty  years, 
proclaimed  the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  he  was 
constrained  to  close  his  ministrations  with  a  thro^vt  of 
terrible  woe  to  the  ungodly.  The  result  was  the  dis- 
persion of  the  whole  gang.  Fear  fell  upon  all.  Some 
left  that  same  day ;  others  followed  in  a  few  days ;  in  a 
week's  time  there  was  not  a  savage  to  be  seen  at  Goshen. 

In  October  a_^klj^8ea8^n_  set.inj^ndZ 
again  fell  seriously^jlL-  The  Rev.  Mr.  Espich,  a  Lu- 
theran clergyman  and  physician,  who  had  recently  settled 
at  New  Philadelphia,*  attended  him.  On  the  twenty- 
ninth,  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  was  adminis- 
tered to  him,  at  his  request,  in  the  circle  of  the  Mission 
family.  He  now  failed  rapidly,  and,  with  a  oomposed- 
ness  which  was  characteristic  of  him,  began  to  conl'>.m- 
plate  his  approaching  end  and  all  its  circumstances. 
To  Mortimer  he  said,  that  he  was  ready  to  die,  and 
that  nothing  troubled  him  except  the  spiritual  state  of 
the  Indians. 

This  had  cast  a  deep  shadow  upon  the  last  years  of 
his  life  and  brought  him  into  many  an  agony  of  prayer. 
"I  may  t  uthfully  assert,"  writes  Ileckewelder,  "that 
he  wrest'  d  every  day  with  God,  from  whom  alone  help 
could  come,  and  cried  to  Him  that  He  world  heal  the 
diseases  of  His  people."*  It  seemed  to  Zeisborger  as 
though  he  could  not  leave  the  converts,  while  they  were 


>  Tho  county  town  of  Tu^cnrawas  County,  founded,  by  about  fifty 
persons,  in  the  spring  of  1804. — Moiiimer'a  Journal. 
*  Heckewelder's  Biographical  Sketch. 


DAVID  ZEISBEBGER. 


671 


80  lukewarm,  so  weak  in  resisting  temptation,  so  prone 
to  commit  sin. 

Mortimer  called  them  together  and  told  them  what 
Zeisberger  had  said,  beseeching  them  first  to  repent 
before  God,  and  secure  His  forgiveness,  and  then 
to  go  to  their  dying  father,  who  had  spent  his  life 
among  them,  confess  their  sins  to  him  also,  and  ask  his 
pardon  for  all  the  sorrow  they  had  caused  him.  This 
would  be  acceptable  to  the  Lord.  Their  father  must 
not  pass  away  with  such  a  weight  upon  his  mind.  The 
Indians  were  moved,  and  promised  compliance. 

The   next  day,  Zeisberger   remarked   to   Morumer: 
"As   my  weakness  is    continually  increasing  and  my 
appetite  gone,  I  believe  that  the  Saviour  intends  to  take 
me  to  Himself.     Lying  here,  oft  ~;n  sleepless,  on  my  bed, 
I  have  employed  the  time  in  reviewing  my  whole  past 
life,  and  find  so  many  faults,  and  so  much  cause  for 
forgiveness,  that  nothing  remains  to  me  but  His  grace.  ' 
Nevertheless,  I  know  that  I  am  His.     I  trust  in  the  ! 
efficacy  of  Ilis  atoning  blood,  which  makes  one  clean  ! 
from    all   sin.     The    Saviour  is  mine.     The   Saviour's  •; 
merits  are  mine.     Some  Christians  die  rejoicing,  with  ' 
joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory.     This  is  not  my  case. , 
I  leave  the  world  as  a  poor  sinner.     My  spirit  God  wilL 
receive.     I  am  certain  of  that.     This  mortal  with  all  its ; 
sinfulness,  I  leave  behind."  ^-* 

This  remarkable  testimony,  unveiling  his  innermost 
experiences,  to  which  he  had  never  been  in  the  habit 
of  refe»-ri!ig,  given  at  the  brink  of  eternity,  as  a  legacy 
to  all  who  should  come  after  him,  was  delivered  with 


•f     : 


1    I 

'1 1^ 


672 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


nI 


great  meekness  of  spirit  and  humility  of  manner,  but 
also  with  the  confident  boldness  of  a  child  of  God  and 
an  heir  of  heaven. 

The  converts  now  came  to  visit  him,  one  by  one,  and, 
amid  many  tears,  prayed  him  to  forgive  all  the  sorrow 
they  had  caused  him,  assuring  him  that  they  had  recon- 
secrated their  lives  to  Christ.  He  received  them  with 
that  gentleness  and  authority  which  he  knew  so  well 
how  to  blend  in  his  intercourse  with  the  Indians ;  told 
them  of  his  unabated  interest  in  their  welfare ;  warned 
them  against  drunkenness  as  the  sin  which  so  easily 
beset  them,  and  which  would  ruin  their  souls  if  they  did 
not  renounce  it;  declared  to  them  that  in  heaven  he 
would  be  in  the  midst  of  the  great  cloud  of  witnesses, 
W"\  and  would  see  whether  they  followed  Christ,  adding,  that 
even  if  but  one  among  them  remained  behind,  he  would 
grieve  in  the  midst  of  his  glory. 

After  this  he  grew  weaker  and  seldom  sat  up.  But 
he  wanted  the  latest  intelligence  of  the  spread  of  the 
Gospel  among  the  heathen  read  to  him,  from  some 
;  missionary  reports  which  had  been  sent  to  the  station. 

On  the  twelfth  of  November,  the  cramp  in  his  bowels 

(from  which  he   had  often   suffered,  in  the  last  years, 
returned  with  great  vehemence.    He  was  now  confined 
^  to  his  bed.     Mortimer  and  the  Indians  vied  with  each 
other  in  ministering  to  him.     The  following  day,  he 
called  the  ^hole   Mission  family  around  him,  thanked 
jhis  wife,  with  deep  fervor,  for  the  willingness  with  which 
she  had  shared  the  hardships,  privations,  and  trials  to 
I  which  his  missionary  life  had  exposed  them,  and  for 


» i 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


673 


twenty-six  years  of  true  Icve  in  all  other  respects ;  bade 
an  affectionate  farewell  to  Mortimer  and  Mrs.  Mortimer; 
and  laid  his  patriarchal  blessing  upon  their  children. 
Toward  midnight  he  seemed  to  be  dying;  and  Morti- 
mer commended  his  cpirit  into  the  hands  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ. 

But  this  was  not  the  hour  of  his  release.     lie  lived 
for  several  days  longer,  in  great  pain.     It  was  the  last 
oross  which  he  had  to  bear,  and  he  took  it  up  with 
resignation,  praying  much  in  a  voice  scarcely  audible. 
Once   he  was  heard  to  say :  "  Lord  Jesus,  I  beseech 
Thee,  come  and  take  my  spirit  to  Thyself."     Again, 
being  in  great  agony :  "  Thou  hast  never  forsaken  me 
in  any  of  the  severe  trials  of  my  life;  Thou  wilt  not 
forsake  me  now!"    Soon  after,  as  though  an  answer 
had  come  from  the  world  above,  he  exclaimed :  "  The 
Saviour  is  near !    Perhaps  He  will  soon  call  and  take  mei 
home !"     Nothing  soothed   him  so  much  as  Delaware 
hymns,  from  his  Hymn  Book,  especially  those  appointed', 
for  the  dying,  which  the  Indians  sang,  grouped  aroundj 
his  bed. 

On  the  seventeenth,  Heckewelder  came  from  Gnadeu- 
hiitten,  and  Mueller  from  Beersheba,  to  see  him  once\ 
more.  He  expressed  his  satisfaction  by  signs,  but  could  > 
not  speak.  Soon  after  they  had  taken  leave  of  him,  the  \ 
hour  of  dissolution  drew  near.  The  chapel  bell  was  ( 
tolled.  At  that  signal,  all  the  adult  Indians  of  Goshen ) 
silently  entered,  and  surrounded  the  couch,  which  had ) 
been  moved  to  the  center  oi  the  room,  and  close  by; 
which   his  wife   and   Mortimer  were   sitting.     At   the] 

43 


1 1 


li 


!■!  r 


■J  ■■  /  f  i\. 


674 


^_ 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


t 


f 


open  door  were  several  Indian  boys,  and  among  tbem 

Samuel  Fry,  the  son  of  a  white  settler.      Zeisberger 

lay  calm,  without  pain,  and  perfectly  conscious.     The 

converts  sang  hymns,  treating  of  Jesus  the  Prince  of 

Life,  of  death  swallowed  up  in  victory,  and  of  Jeru- 

jsalem  the  Church  above.     He  occasionally  responded 

I  by  signs  expressive  of  his  joy  and  peace.     Amid  such 

i  strains,   at  half-past    three  o'clock    in   the  afternoon, 

;  he  breathed  his  last,  without  a  struggle,  and  went  to 

God.     All  present  immediately  fell  upon  their  knees. 

The  Indians  sobbed  aloud,  and  Mortimer,  with  much 

emotion,  thanked   the   Lord    that   He    had   delivered 

His  servant  from  death,  and  that  He  had  blessed  his 

testimony  while  living,  to  the  conversion  of  so  many 

;>  souls  among  the  aborigines  of  America,  beseeching  Him 

^  to  strengthen  the  converts  that  remained,  so  that  they 

might  follow  their  father's  footsteps  and  meet  him  in 

.  heaven.     Zeisbe^rger-'a  age  wageighty-seven  years  and 

^^^evfiojaijontlis . 

•  "^^  Looking  back  upon  his  missionarj^ career  of  sixty-two 
yearsj^weare  led  to  reflections  of  a  ^gculiar  charactgr. 

From  one  pomt  of  view,  a  cloud  hung  over  his  death- 
bed, after  all  his  labors,  perils,  courage,  and  faithfulness. 
For  himself,  he  was  certain  of  his  reward ;  but  for  his 
life-work,  the  future  was  dark.  True,  he  did  not 
cease  to  hope.  "  In  the  last  years  of  his  pilgrimage," 
says  Heckewelder,  -'whenever  the  conversation  turned 
upon  the  former  blessed  seasons  of  grace  and  glory, 
which  he  had  seen  among  the  Indians,  his  spirit  re- 
vived, und  he  expressed  a  hope  that,  in  His  own  time, 


ij 


^0     ; 


7  " 


/  . 


;.-.'*t.''.V 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


676 


God  would  renew  the  days  of  His  people  as  of  old.'" 
But  as  long  as  such  a  change  was  withheld,  he  knew 
that  the  Mission  would  continue  to  decline.  It  had 
flourished  like  a  glorious  sjcaraore  by  the  rivers  of 
Western  valleys;  but  now  he  saw  that  a  worm  was 
gnawing  at  its  roots  and  its  beauty  withering  away. 

Maiiy  ofjiis  aspirations  had  not  been  fulfilled.    There, 
was  no  Mission,  bearing  the  ancient  name  of  his  Church,  | 
among  the  Six  Nations,  and  although  others  had  gathered  j 
into  Christ's  fold  some  of  their  number,  the  Iroqu'ois,  as 
a  people,  were  not  converted.     There  was  no  Christian 
state  of  Delawares  in  Ohio,  flourishing  in  the  arts  and 
ways  of  civilization,  a  center  of  power,  whence  messen- 
gers were  going  to  the  West  and  the  South  to  lead  other 
nations  to  the  knowklge  of  the  truth.     A  broken  rem- 
nant of  the  Lenni-Lenape,   steeped  in   all  the  worst 
abominations  of  heathenism,  eked  out  their  existence 
far  away  from  their  former  council-fires.     There  \ya8  no 
station  anaong  the  Chipjpe\vas.     The  servant  of  God,  i 
who  had  brought  them  the  Gospel,  had  turned  back  dis- 
appointed from  their  lodges.     There  was  no  prosperous 
church  anywhere  as  a  monument  of  Zeisberger's  prayers  j 
and  work.     Fairfield  was  not  what  it  had  been;  on  the  \ 
Sandusky  stood  but  a  cottage  in  a  vineyard ;  around  his  ' 
own  little  chapel,  at  Goshen,  clustered  the  huts  of  barely 
a  score  of  natives. 

He  looked  to  other  lands,  and  he  beheld  the  Zion  of 
his  fathers  victorious  in  her  conflict  with  paganism,  in 


pi! 
fill's; 

ill 


Hu 


Hcckcwelder's  Biographical  Sketch, 


ft 


^3 


n 


i 


M 


f! 
ti 

r 
I' 


1 1 


V 


I  > 


V',' 


-^ 


676         / 


/ 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


nearly  all  the  ends  of  the  earth.  In  the  West  Indies,  in 
Surinam,  on  the  ieo-bound  coasts  of  Greenland  and  Lab- 
rador, amid  the  groves  of  South  Africa,  thousands  had 
/been  reclaimed.  The  missionary  fame  of  the  Unitas 
Fratrnra  rang  through  the  Christian  world.  Not  only 
single  souls,  but  whole  nations  were  converted.     Yet  in 

t 

i  the  Indian  country,  where  faithfulness  and  endurance 
jhud  been  manifested,  and  hardships  and  dangers  experi- 
jenced,  unparalleled  elsewhere,  that  evangelization  which 
lleads 'tribes  to  the  God  of  Jacob  had  proved  a  failure. 

This  result  was,  however,  not  peculiar  to  his  Church. 
On  the  contrar}',  it  seems  to  be  the  end  ^f  every^mis- 
/  siouary^  worjk  iuj;he  mid^t  of  races  that  jj_re_dying_out. 
;  At  no  time  has  there_been  a  Mission  among  the  North 
I  American   Indians  which  grew  statedh^^'om^_y;ear_to 
1  yeaTj  spreading  abroad  its  iiifluejjjees,  and  keeping  pace 
with  other  enterprises  among  the  vigorous  nations  of 
the  heathen  \   yild.    Eliot's  communities  prospered  for 
a  time,  and  then  passed  away,  like  the  leaves  of  the 
woods  where  his  converts  hunted.     Not  a  vestige  of  the 
tribe  remains.     But  one  man  is  still  living,  it  is  said, 
who  can  read  the  Indian  Bible  which  he  translated  with 
so  much  labor.     On  the  lands  where  his  Indians  wor- 
shiped, are  communities  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  that 
Ihave  never  seen  a  native.     A  few  descendants  of  Brai- 
|nerd's  Indians  may  yet  exist,  but  soon  they,  too,  will  all 
I  be  gone.     Kirkland's  work  is  almost  forgotten  in  the 
regions  where   it   prospered.     In  the  West  and  South 
everywhere,  Indian  Missions  have  always  been  feeble, 
'  and  languish  now. 


f  <^  t.iv  ;y.u'^  1.^ 


*«MMM»#MWHMWw. . 


DAVID  ZEISDEROER, 


677 


The    discouragements    amid  which   Zeisberger  died) 
grew,  therefore,  originally,    out  of  the  character   and 
mournful  destiny  of  the  race  to  which  he  brought  the, 
Gospel.     At  the  same  time  it  does  not  admit  of  a  doubt  j 
that  he  might  have  counted  his  converts  by  thousands, 
if  he  had  forsaken   the  principles  of  his  Church  and 
acted  contrai'y  to  his  own   convictions.     The  aiin_.of 
the  Moravians,  in  their  work  among;  the  heathen,  was 
the  real  conversion  of  souls.     Hence  they  not  only  with- 


•"'•^~^,^^-—.. 


held  baptism  until  evident  signs  of  a  change  of  heart  ap- 
peared, but  used  precautions  unknown  to  other  Christian 
denominations,  and  long  since  set  aside  in  the  Moravian  \ 
Church,  because  they  proved  to  be  a  barrier  of  doubtful .' 
propriety. 

But,  from  another  point  of  view,  Zeisberger's  J^oary_ 

^SftiJ£2S-~£.l?-^*195^  ^yi^A-Kl^^T'     Taking  into  account 
the    character    of   his  work,   and    comparing    it  with 
that  of  other   missionaries   among   the    aborigines   of 
our  country,  he  stands  foremost  of  all   the  men  that 
entered  the  same  field  in  the  eighteenth  century.     In-  [ 
deed,  in  some  respects,  he  far  outranks  Eliot  himself, 
whose  labors  belong  to  a  preceding  age.     This  apostle 
of  the  Indians  remained  in  New  England,  and  preached 
to  its  tribes;  but  the  apostle  of  the  Western  Indians; 
traversed   Massachusetts  and  Connecticut,  Now  York,( 
Pennsylvania,  and  Ohio,  entered  Michigan  and  Canada,! 
preaching    to    many    nations    in    many   tongues.      Ilel 
brought   the    Gospel    to    the    Mohicans    and   Wampa-| 
noags,  to  the  Nanticokes  and  Shawanese,  to  the  Chip- 1 
pewas,  Ottawas,  and  Wyandots,  to  the  Unamis,  Una^J 


-J... 


X 


1^, 


i;  1 


i  1 


;.i 


678 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


laclitgos,  and  Monseys  of  the  Delaware  race,  to    the 
Onondagas,  Cayugas,  and  Senecas  of  the  Six  Nations. 
SgeakmgthoDelaware  hmgmige  fliiciitly,  us  well  as  the 
Mojiawk  and  Onondaga  dialects  of  the  Iro2^ix>i8j_faiHii: 
iar  wjtli  the  Caj^uga  and  qther  tongues ;    an  adopted 
sachem   of  the    Six    Nations ;    naturalized   among  the 
Monseys  by  a  formal  act  of  the  tribe ;  swaying  for  a 
number  of  years  the  Grand  Council  of  the  Delawares  ; 
at  one  time  the  Keeper  of  the  Archives' of  the  Iroquois 
Confederacy;  versed  in  the  customs  of  the  aborigines ; 
I  adapting  himself  to  their  mode  of  thought,  and,  by  long 
1  habit,  a  native  in  many  of  his  own  ways; — no  Protest- 
jant  missionary,  and  but  few  men  of  any  other  calling, 
'ever  exercised  more  real  influence  and  was  more  sin- 
j  cerely  honored,  among  the  Indians ;  and  no  one,  except 
the  Catholic  evangelists,  with  whom  the  form  of  baptism 
was  the  end  of  their  work,   exceeded  him  in  the  fre- 
quency  and    hardships    of   his   journeys    through    the 
jwilderness,  the   immbers  whom    he   received  into  the 
j  Church  of  Christ,  and  brought  to  a  consistent  practice 
j  of  Christianity,  and  the  conversion  of  characters  most 
\  depraved,  ferocious,  and  desperate. 
'^  Then,  to Oj  the  frequent  removal  of  the  Mission  from 
/place  to  place,  while  it  hindered  the  \York  in  some  re- 
8£ectS;L_served_^to  spread   thj,,(;J_ospel  in^  ...ojthcrs.     Zeis- 
berger,  at  the  head  of  the  Christian  Indians,  with  the 
open  Bible  in  his  hands,  was  a  messenger  of  the  truth 

Ito  nations  from  nearly  every  section  of  tlie  West,  that, 
in  theif  turn,  often  became  its  herald  among  their  own 


DAVTD  ZEJSBERGER. 


679 


countrymen.    It  was  thus  made  knowu  m  regions  where 
no  missionary  ever  appeared.' 

But,  perhaps,  the  most  illustrious  feature  and  succeas- 
ful  pHrt_of_hJ8_work  were  the  Christian  gomniunities 
which  he  established.  They  were  the  wonder  of  all  who 
saw  them,  whether  white  men  or  natives ;  and  Ijiey 
seem  even  to  us,  who  can  only  read  of  them,  miracles 
of  energy  and  faith.  A  hunter  and  a  warrior,  the  In- 
dian was  constrained  to  give  up  his  wild  hai/ita  and  cruel 
ways;  to  quench  all  the  instincts  of  his  savage  nature; 
to  change  most  of  the  customs  of  his  race ;  to  acknowl- 
edge woman  as  his  equal ;  to  perform  the  labor  liimself 
which  for  generations  had  been  put  upon  her;  to  lay 
aside  his  plumes,  paint,  and  traditional  ornaments  of 
every  kind;  to  assume  the  dress  which  white  men  wore; 
to  plow  and  plant  and  reap  like  any  farmer;  to  rove 
no  longer  through  the  wilderness  at  pleasure,  building 
lodges  here  and  there,  but  to  remain  with  his  family  in 
one  town ;  and,  above  all,  to  submit  to  municipal  enact- 
ments, which  were  of  necessity  so  stringent  that  nothing 
could  be  more  galling  to  the  native  pride  of  American 
aborigines.* 


'  "  By  tho  dispersal  and  the  constant  wanderings  of  the  Indian  Con-  t 
gregation,"  writes  Mortimer  in  his  Journal  of  October,  1798,  "  a  general  f 
knowledge  of  them  has  been  spread  abroad,  their  fuith  and  character  / 
arc  known  and  spoken  of  even  beyond  tho  Mississippi  River.  Many  \ 
who  heard  tho  Gospel  through  them  have  witnessed  among  their  ovinj 
countryman  of  a  Saviour,  in  life  or  death."  .  i 

» In  an  article  on  Gnadenhiitten,  published  in  tho  AUajitic  Monthlyoi) 
January,  1809,  tho  author  says:  "The  success  of  the  good  men  who. 
effected  this  change  seems  like  a  poet's  dream,  in  view  of  what  we  know  i 
of  Indian  life." 


'f- 


. 


r\ 


y /U^^'^'^'^^'^ 


^ 


680 


L7FJS  -4^/)   TIMES  OF 


\  \  I,     I 


•if'       ■ 

I!"    i 


■■< 


Nor  must  wp  look  upon  Zeisberger  aa  a  jpissionayy 
only; J^o  was  oiifi^ Jl^y  niost^  uqtablo  pigueers^ of  jnvil; 
ization   our  country  has  ever  known.     We  lind   him 
among  the  settlers  who  developed  the  infant  Colony  of 
Georgia.    He  came  to  Pennsylvania,  and  helped  to  found 
towiis  in  the  Forks  of  the  Delaware,  in  the  Lehigh  val- 
ley, and  in  what  is  now  Northumberland  County.     He 
continued  to   labor  in   the   same  Province,  and   built 
Friedenshiitten  on  the  Susquehanna,  Lawunakhannek 
on  the  Alleghany,  and  Friendensatadt  on  the  Beaver. 
He  passed  into  Ohio,  hying  out  Schonbrunn,  Gnaden- 
hiitten,  New  Schonbrunn,  and  Goshen,  on  the  Tuscar- 
,'awas;  Lichtenau  on  the  Muskingum;  Pilgerruh  on  the 
\  Cuyahoga;  and  New  Salem  on  the  Huron.     He  pressed 
'forward  even  to  Michigan,  and  brought  into  existence 
a  third  GnadenhUtten.     He   found  his  way  to  Upper 
Canada,  erected  a  Watch-Tower  at  the  mouth  of  the 
,  Detroit,  and  made  Fairiield  a  center  of  industry  and 
trade.     Thirteen   villages   sprang    up  at  his  bidding, 
where  native  agents  prepared  the  way  for  the  husband- 
man and  the  mechanic  of  the  coming  race, 
/r   Zei8bergej.;_vvas_a  man  of  sniall  stature^  butwoU  pro- 
.ij/ /portioned.     His  face  wore   the  marks  of  constant  ex- 
.(/"*  ^  l5<>5ure  and  of  a  liardy'lifer    It  was  lurrowed  with  deep 
jlines,  yet  always  cheerful  and  pleasing.     His  dress  was 
J'jt  v/very  plain,  but  scrupulously  neat  and  clean.     Except  for 
medicinal   purposes,  he  never  used  spirituous  liquors. 
His  words  were  few.     He  had  adopted  the  reticence 
):]-  jr-     I  of  the  natives  among  whom  he  frpent  his  life.     In  con^ 
•^  '  versation,  one  of  their  social  ways  had  become  a  habit 


,  7 


Q^K^tf  J. 
i 


^SJf 


Cy-u.-'...;>t--W^v 


DAVID  ZEISDEROER. 


681 


with     him.       When    queationed,    especially    in     later 
years,  regarding  any  incident  of  his  life,  or  experience 
of  the  Misaion,  he  often  ohaerved  a  profound  silence,! 
instead    of   giving    a    reply,    and    allowed    the    con- 
versation  to  turn    upon  other  topics.     After  a   time, 
however,  he  addressed   the   querist  and  delivered  ani 
answer  somewhat  in  the  way  of  a  speech  at  an  Indian] 
council. 

A  sketch  of  his  character  is  best  given  in  the  words 
of  two  of  his  fellow-missionaries. 

Heckewelder,  who  was  associated  with  him  for  many 
years,  when  he  was  yet  in  the  full  tide  of  activity,  says : 

"lie  was  endowed  with  a  good  understanding  and  ai 
sound  judgment;  a  friend  and  benefactor  to  mankind,' 
and  justly  beloved  by  all  who  knew  him,  with  perhaps  ' 

L 

the  exception  of  those  who  were  enemies  of  the  Gospel 
which  he  preached."* 

"His  reticence  was  the  result  of  the  peculiar  circum- 
8tance8_af_Jiis    life.      He    undertook    many  solitary  i 
journeys,  and,  in  the  first  half  of  his  life,  lived  at  places 
where  there  either  was  no  society,  or  such  as  was  not 
congenial.     Hence    he  withdrew  within    himself,   and,' 
lived  in  a  close  communion  with  his  unseen  but  ever- ' 
present  heavenly  Friend.    In  all  his  views  be  was  very 
tjiorough,  not^  impulsive,  not  suflering  himself  to  be 
carried  away  by  extraneous  influences,  not  giving  an  , 
opinion  until  he  had  come  to  a  positive  and  settled  / 
conclusion   in  his  own  mind.      Experience  invariably/ 


•  Heckewelder's  History  of  the  Indiaa  Mission,  427. 


Vj*-- 


■■■\.- 


r 


."sJA.,.:  y,.«ji'5 


682 


Z^^Fi?  ^iVZ)    TIMES  OF 


V       i: 


proved  the  correctueas  of  his  judgment.     To  this  the 
;  missionaries   who  served  with   him   all  bear  witness. 
i  lleceiving,  as  it  were,  a  glimpse  of  the  future,  through 
■  the  -  deep    thoughts   and    silent    prayers    in   which    he 
engaged,  he  stood  up,  on  most  occasions,  full  of  confi- 
dence, and  knew  no  fear.     Amid  distressing  and  peril- 
ous circumstances,  not  only  his  fellow-missionavies,  but 
the  Indian  converts,  iiuariably  looked  to  him;  and  bis 
I  courage,  his  undaunted  readiness  to  act,  his  comforting 
I  words  cheere('  them  all."' 

"  He  would_neyej[_coixsenl  to Jia^^e  lii^..^ 

;  on  a  salary-list,  or  become  a  '  bjreling^^  as  he  termedjtj 

i  saying,  that  although  a  salary  might  be  both  agreeable 

/  and  proper   for  some   missionaries,  yet   in   his  case  it 

'  would  be  the  contrary.     He  had  devoted  himself  to  the 

service  of  the  Lord   among   the  heathen  without  any 

view  of  a   reward,  other  than   such  as  his  Lord  and 

Master  might  deign  to  bestow  upon  him."* 

To  this  Mortimer,  who  was  daily  about  him,  in  the 

/last  nine  years  of  his  life,  and  knew  him  as  a  patriarch, 

I  adds  the  following: 

j  ^   "  ZeisbergQr  jya^.  fjjJly..iX>nv,iBcecLih^ 

':  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  Indiaiis  and  s^read^jhejdng;;- 

!  dom  of  God  wus  pf  divine  orjgiij^  and  therefore  he 

sacrificed  all  vanities  of  the  world,  all  convenience,  and 

whatever  is  highly  esteemed  among  men,  and  took  up 

I  the  mission  of  his  life  in  strong  faith,  relying  upon  the 

I  blessing  and  aid  of  that  Lord  whom  ho  served,  and  with 

i  . 

1  Hcckewelder's  Biogrnphical  MS.  Skotcli. 

"^  Hcckewelder's  History  of  the  Indian  Mission,  426. 


I 


.'  / ' 


,t-f 


..v->«- 


(^  :i.^-..Xc7^.^' 


DAVID  ZEISBERQER. 


683 


joyous  courage,  in  the  midst  of  scorn  and  reproach,  per- 
secutions and  menaces,  hunger  and  perils,  triumphing 
at  last,  in  spite  of  every  foe.  Hig_jK^jJijfl^is,.dlatiil- 
^yji8he(i.J2y...pjrseverance,  fiiithfulness,  zeal,  and  courage. 
Not^ngafforded  him  more  satisfaction  than  the  genuine 
conversion  of  those  to  whom  he  preached.  This  was 
the  highest  g^al  of  his  ambition.  If  he  could  gain  but 
cue  soul,  and  bring  it  to  a  saving  knowledge  of  Christ, 
it  was  for  him  a  more  precious  gift  than  if  he  had  come 
into  possession  of  the  whole  world.  To  describe  the 
joy  he  experienced  when  an  erring  sheep  returned  to 
the  fold  is  impossible.  In  his  ministry  he  neither  forgot 
that  he  had  to  contend  with  'the  prince  of  the  power  of 
the  air,  th*^  spirit  that  worketh  in  the  children  of  dis- 
obedience,' nor  that  God  was  on  his  side.  And,  truly, 
•he  did  overcome  Satan,  in  an  illustrious  way,  by  tho 
blood  of  the  Lamb,  and  by  the  word  of  his  testimony ; 
and  loved  not  his  life  unto  the  death. 

"  He  was  not  only  bold  in  God,  fearless  and  full  of 
courage,  but  also  lowly  of  heart,  meek  of  spirit,  never 
thinking  highly  of  himself.  Selfishness  was  unknown 
to  him.  His  heart  poured  out  a  stream  of  love  to  his 
Cellow-men.  In  spite  of  his  constant  journeys  and  ex- 
posure, he  never  needlessly  sacrificed  his  health.  His 
whole  bearing  was  extremely  venerable.  He  was  an 
aflt'ectionate  husband  ;  a  faithful  and  ever-reliable  friend. 
In  a  woj;d,.his  character  was  upright,  honest,  loving,  and, 
noble,  ab  free  from  taults  as  can  be  expQgted  pf  anxraan; 
this  side  of  the^rave." 


m 


The  twentieth  of  November  was  the  day  appointed  for 


'.   1 

;     i 

!    3 


i   ■< 


f  ■       1 

II    ! 


)'■ 


684 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


the  burial  of  his  mortal  remains.  It  was  a  Sunday, 
shrouded  at  dawn  in  a  thick  fog,  but  later,  clear,  warm, 
and  radiant.  From  Gnadenhutten  came  many  of  its 
inhabitants,  from  Beersheba  Mueller,  and  from  the 
vicinity  of  Goshen  a  large  body  of  settlers.  The  corpse, 
arrayed  in  the  ministerial  surplice  of  the  patriarch, 
.was  placed  in  front  of  the  chapel,  which  was  tilled 
with  mourning  hearers.  At  eleven  o'clock,  Mortimer 
opened  the  service,  delivering,  in  English,  which  John 
Henry  interpreted  into  Delaware,  a  sermon  on  the 
words,  "And  they  overcame  him  by  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb,  and  by  the  word  of  the  testimony ;  and  they  loved 
not  their  lives  unto  the  death.'"  A  brief  memoir  of 
Zeisberger's  life  was  then  communicated;  after  which 
Mueller  preached,  in  German,  on  the  text,  ''  The 
memory  of  the  just  is  blessed,"*  the  whole  service 
concluding  with  a  fervent  prayer.  Then  a  procession 
was  formed.  First  walked  Mortimer  and  Mueller ; 
next  came  the  coffin,  borne  by  three  Moravians  of 
Gnadenhutten  and  three  Christian  Indians  of  Goshen, 
and  followed  by  Mrs.  Zeisberger,  supported  by  Mrs. 
Mortimer,  and  the  Indians ;  the  settlers  bringing  up  the 
rear.  On  the  left  of  the  Hill  Road  to  Now  riiiladelphia, 
a  few  rods  from  the  fork,  still  lies  the  Goshen  burial- 
ground.  There  they  buried  Zeisberger,  according  to  the 
solemn  ritual  of  the  Church  of  iiis  fathers ;  and  there, 
under  the  ohade  of  a  small  tree,  with  occasionally  a 
moss-rose  blooming  on  the  lowly  mound,  planted  by  the 


V 


»  Rev.  xii.  11. 


'  Prov.  X.  7. 


11 


DAVID   ZEISBEKGER. 


685 


pious   hand   of  neighboring  residents,  his  body  awaits 
the  resurrection  of  the  just.     A  marble  slab,  simple  and  ; 
unostentatious  as  his  life,  bears  this  epitaph :  I 

DAVID  ZEISBEROER,  \ 

who  was  bom  11  A2)ril,  1721,  \ 

in  Moravia,  and  departed  V, 

this  Life  17  Nov.  1808,  / 

aged  87  Years,  7  M.  and  G  Days. 
This  faith  fnl  Servant  of  the 
Lord  laboured,  among  the 
Atnerican  Indiayis  as  a  Mis- 
.•iionary,  during  the  last 
60  Years  of  his  Life. 

The  traveler,  descending  Goshen  Hill,  who  turns  into 
this  way-side  cemetery  to  read  its  tombstones,  and  finds 
Zeisbcrger's  resting-place,  stands  by  the  grave  of  a  hero. 
While  the  chronicles  of  America  magnify  the  men  who 
wielded  the  sword  and  were  great  in  war,  or  swayed  her 
councils  and  earned  illustrious  sanies  under  the  flome  of 
her  capitol,  the  church  of  God  enshrines  the  memory  of 
this  humble  missionary  of  the  Cross,  who,  for-  twelve 
years  more  than  half  a  century,  used  the  sword  of  the 
Spirit,  wrestled  against  principalities  and  powers  of  evil 
where  spiritual  wickedness  reigned  in  high  places,  and 
fulfilled  all  the  biblical  conditions  of  horoifem,  watching, 
standing  fast  in  the  faith,  quitting  himself  like  a  man, 
being  strong.  And  when  national  annals  shall  belong 
to  that  past  from  which  shall  proceed  no  more  influ- 
ences, when  statesmen  and  men  of  war  8hall  be  forgotten 
amid  the  glory  of  the  oaints,  he  shall  be  one  of  those 
who,  having  turned  many  to  righteousness,  shall  shine 
"  as  the  stare  for  ever  and  ever." 


r      (^ 


686 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


CHAPTER   XLVII. 


SO 


THE   LITERARY   WORKS   OP   DAVID   ZEISBERGER. 

His  literary  activity. — Published  works. — Works  remaining  in  manu- 
script.— Collections  in  the  Library  of  the  American  Philosophical 
Society  and  the  Library  of  Harvard  UniverMty. 

In  the  course  of  our  history  we  have  frequently  re- 
ferred to  the  literary  labors  of  Zeisberger.  This  chap- 
ter is  devoted  to  a  mure  complete  account  of  them,  and 
to  a  list  of  his  various  works. 

He  _did  jcnore  than  any  other  man  of  Jiis.century.i.Q 

f develop  both  tl -'  Delaware  language  and  the  OijMOiidaga 

dialect  of^he   Iroquois.     Unfortunately,  however,  the 

most  important  of  his  works,  from  a  philological  point 

of  view,  remain  in  manuscript.    These  manuscripts  have 

I  been   placed,  partly,  in  the  Library  of  the  American 

/  Philosophical   Soc'ety   of  Philadelphia,   and  partly   in 

I  that  of  Harvard  University,  at  Cambridge,  Massachu- 

j  setts.     Those  at  Philadelphia  continue  the  property  of 

I  the  Moravian  Church,  having  been  merely  deposited ; 

those  at  Cambridge  have  been  presented  to  the  Uni- 

/  versity. 

We  proceed  to  give,  first,  a.  list  of  Zeisberger's  pub- 
lished works. 


DAVID   ZEISBERGER. 


687 


1  manu- 
isophical 


itly  re- 
3  chap- 
im,  and 

londaga 
^er,  the 
il  point 
)t8  have 
merlcan 
artly   in 
assachu- 
perty  of 
posited ; 
;he  Uni- 

er's  pub- 


I.  PUBLISHED  WORKS  OF  DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 

1.  Essay  of  a  Delaware  Indian  and  Enrjllsh  Spelling  Book,  for  the  use  of 
the  Schools  of  the  Christian  Indians  on  Muskinrjum  River.  By 
David  Zcisborgor,  Missionary  among  the  Western  Indians.  Phila- 
delphia: Printed  by  Henry  Miller,  1776,  pp.  113. 

To  this  work  are  appended  the  Lord's  Prayer,  the] 
Ten  Commandments,  witli  Scripture  passages  iUustratingl 
them,  and  a  short  Litany,  an  abbreviation  of  tlie  Church 
Litany  of  the  Moravians,  all  in  Delaware  and  English.    '. 

A  second  edition  appeared  at  Philadelphia  in  1806J 
This  omits  the  Appendix. 

The  original  manuscript  of  the  first  edition  of  thiS: 
work  is  preserved  in  the  Bethlehem  Archives.  Upon! 
comparing  it  with  the  printed  copy,  it  is  evident  that 
there  was  cause  for  the  dissatisfaction  which  Zeisberger; 
expressed  with  +lie  manner  in  which  the  book  was 
brought  out.  The  manuscript  does  not  contain  the  Ap- 
pendix described  above,  but,  in  place  of  it,  the  following 
articles : 

1.  A  Short  History  of  the  Bible,  evidently  original,  in 
Delaware  and  English,  in  parallel  columns.  / 

2.  Reading  Lessons  in  Delaware,  being  Biblical  and  '^ 
other  Narratives.  [ 

3.  Conju^atioiis^of  the  .I^y.^  .<^q  ga^^'  giKl_^^ 

in  Delaware  a  uOlugljsh.  v 

4.  The_Dela>vare  NuineraL^.  ( 
All  these  articles  have  been  omitted  in  the  printed  I 

copy. 


688 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


I 


1 

\ 

II  ' 

!  i 

1 

Nl 

\  1 

!?|.   . 

!  i  1 

it ' 

If 

iL 

1  i. 

2.  A  Collection  of  Hymns,  Jor  the  use  of  the  Christian  Indians,  of  the 
Missions  of  the  United  Brethren,  in  North  America.  Philiidclphia: 
Printed  by  Henry  Swcilzer,  at  the  corner  of  Race  and  Fourth 
Streets,  1803,  pp.  368. 

On  the  reverse  of  the  English  title-page  stands  the 
Indian : 

Mawuni  Nachgohumewoaganali  enda  auwegenk  Welsittangik  Lenape- 
winink,  untschi  Nigasundewoagano  enda  Nguttimachtangundink,  li 
Lowanewimk  Undachqui  America. 

Then  comes  a  dedication  to  the  Society  of  the  United 
I  Brethren  for  Propagating  the  Gospel  among  the  Hea- 
•  then,  signed  David  Zeisberger,  and  dated  Goshen,  River 
<  Muskingum,  September  30,  1802. 

)     The  hymns  are  translated  from  the  German  Hymn 

1  Book  of  the  Moravian  Church,  edition  of  1778,  and  from 

the  English  Hjmiu  Book,  of  the  same  Church,  edition  of 

11801.     The  Easter  Morning  Litany  is  introduced  after 

Ithe  Hymns  treating  of  the  Resurrection  of  Christ;  the 

I  Litai^ies  for  the  Baptism  of  Children  and  of  Adults  after 

i  the  Hymns  on  Holy  Baptism ;  the  Church  Litany  after 

;the   "Supplicatory   Hymns,"   as  they  are  called;   and 

the  Burial  Litanies  after  the  Hymns  relating  to  Death 

j  and  the  Resurrection  of  the  Body.     The  hymns  them- 

'  selves  arc  arranged  nearly  in  the  same  order  as  in  the 

German  Hymn  Book,  and  have  the  first  lines,  as  also 

the  numbers,  of  their  originals,  either  in  the  German  or 

!  English  Hymn  Book  prefixed. 

The  original  manuscript  of  this  work  is  preserved  in 
the  Bethlehem  Archives. 

A  second  edition  was  issued  in  1847,  printed  at  Beth- 
lehem, and  edited  by  the  Rev.  Abraham  Luckenbach,  in 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


689 


an  abridged  form.  The  Litanies  precede  the  Hymns,  as 
in  the  Moravian  Hymn  Books  at  present  in  use;  but 
those  relating  to  baptism,  as  also  all  hymns  treating  of 
this  sacrament,  are  omitted. 

3.  Sermons  to  Children.     Translated  by  David  Zoisborger.     Ehelition- 

henk  II  Amcmensuk  Gisohitak  Elleniechsink.  Untschi  David  Zcis- 
bergor.    Philndolphia :  Printed  by  A.  and  G.  Way,  1803,  pp.  90. 

These  jgcmons  are  translated  into  Delaware,  and  are 
sey^teeri  jn  number.  The  original  manuscript  is  in 
the  Bethlehem  Archives. 

4.  Aug.  Qoitl.  Spangenberg.     Something  of  Boduy   Care  for  Children.    (_ 

Translated  by  David  Zoisbort;cr.  Axig.  Gotil.  Spangenberg  Kechitti 
Koccu  Hokeyiwi  Latschachtowoagan  Untschi  Amemc?tsak  Li.  Gis- 
chitak  Elleniechsink  Untschi  David  Zeisbergcr.  Philadelphia: 
1S03. 

This  is  a  Delaware..translation  of  a  treatise  written  bvi 
Bishop  jpangenberg  in_Gernaan.  It  forms  a  part  of  the, 
preceding  volume,  the  Sermons  and  this  Treatise  beingj 
bound  together,  filling,  in  all,  one  hundred  and  fifteeni 
pages.  The  original  manuscript  is  in  the  Bethlehem) 
Archives. 

5.  The  History  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ:  comprehending 

all  that  the  Four  Evangelists  have  recorded  concerning  Him  ;  all 
their  relations  being  brought  together  in  one  Narration,  so  that  no 
circumstance  is  omitted,  but  that  inestimable  Historj'  is  continued 
in  one  Series,  in  the  very  words  of  Scripture.  By  the  Ecv.  Samuel 
Lieberkiihn,  M.  A.  Translated  into  the  Delaware  Indian  Language 
by  the  Rev.  David  Zeisbergcr,  Missionary  of  the  United  Brethren. 
New  York  :  Printed  by  Daniel  Fanshaw,  No,  20  Slote-Lane,  1821, 
pp.  222. 
Elekup  Nihillalquonk  woak  Pemauchsohalquonk  Jesus  Christ  Scki 
Ta  Lauchsitup  Wochgidhakamike. 

There  follows  an  "Address  of  the  late  Rev.  David 

44 


m 


\'-\:" 


M 


|!!'!^ 


690 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


^1 


i 


r 1 


j  Zeisberger  to  the  Christian  Indians,  on  his  presenting 

them  with  his  transhition  of  the  history  of  our  Lord  and 

ISaviour  Jesus  Christ.     The  address  was  prefixed  by  him 

to  the  work,  and  entitled  Preface."    It  is  dated  Goshen, 

on  the  Muskingum,  May  23,  1806. 

The  original  manuscript  of  this  work  is  in  the  Beth- 
lehem Archives.  A  very  consplete  Table  of  Contents, 
prepared  by  Zeisberger,  has  been  omitted  in  the  printed 
copy. 

6.   VcThal  Biegungen  der  Chlppewayer,  von  David  Zeisberger.     Published 
in  Viitcr's  Analokten  der  Sprnclikiindc,  Leipzig,  1821. 

This  work  is  a  collection, of_J>elaw^;e_,£Qnj^ 
andthejMjy|e^_augl^^ 
"  Chippewayerj^'  which_[8  a  mere  j_nadvert£iice. 


II.  MANUSCRIPT  WORKS  OF  DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


I  \% 


./ 


/ 


A,    MANUSCRIPTS  DEPOSITED  IN  THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE  AMERI- 
CAN PHILOSOPHICAL  SOCIETY,  AT  PHILADELPHIA. 

1.  Dentsch  und   Onondagaisches    Worterbucfi,   von    David    Zeisberger, 
7  Bande. 


(Lexicon_of  the  Ger  Ban  and  Onondagg 
7voJa») 

This  is  one  of  the  most  important  of  his  works,  which 
he  began  early  in  life,  and  upon  which  he  bestowed  the 
greatest  care  and  the  most  persevering  diligence,  calling 
in  the  aid  of  Iroquois  sachems,  who  rendered  him  valu- 
able assistance. 

2.  Onondaga  and  German  Vocabulary^  by  David  Zeisberger. 

A  shorter  work  of  the  same  character  as  the  above. 

3.  Essay  toward  an  Onondaga  Grammar,  or  a  Short  Introduction  to  learn 

the  Onondaga,  or  Maqua  tongue,  by  David  Zeisberger.     Quarto. 


in 


DAVID   ZEISBERGEK. 


001 


4.  Onondafjaiachc  Ornmniat'.-a,  von  David  Zeisberger. 

A  complete  graininar  of  tlie  Onondiiga  language. 

Tliis  work  was  translated  into  P^nglish  by  Peter  S. ' 
Dnponcean,  LL.B.,  a  Viee-PresKlent  of  the  American 
Pliilosopliical     Society,    which    version,    however,    alsoj 
remains  in  manuscript. 

5.  Onondagnische  Gramniatica. 

The  same  work  as  tlie  preceding  (I^o.  4}^^  but  in  an 
incomplete  form,  appearing  tojbe  the  author's  first 
attempt. 

(i.  A  Gi-ammar  of  the  LnngnageofJlLC.Lcnni-Lcnapr,r>rDdaware  In- 
dians^  traiK-latf'd  from  the  Gornum  3IS.  of  tlie  Hi;v.  David  Zois- 
borger,  and  presented  to  the  American  Pliilosopliical  Society  by 
Peter  S.  Duponcoaii.  MS.  For  tlie  original  <>i'  this  work,  see 
bolow,  No.  5. 


I  i 


B.   MANUSCRIPTS    PRESERVED    IN    THE    LIDRARY    OF    HARVARD 
UNIVERSITY,  AT  CAMBRIDGE. 

We  present  the  titles,  in  brief,  a:^  they  were  given  to 

us  by  the  Librarian  of  the  University. 

/ 

I  1.  A  Dictionanj  in  German  and  De/nwu/c. 

(  2.  Delau-arc  Glossa^'i/. 

\  :l.   Delaware  Vocahulary. 

i  4.   Phrases  and  Vocabularies  in  Delaware. 

)  y.  Delaioare  Grammar. 

"'i  G.  HarmoHif  of  the  Gospels  in  Delawair.     T'lis  is  evidently  a  duplicati' 
^rS.  of  the  work-  publislied  in  1821. 

7.  Hymns  for  the  Christian  Indians  in  Drhuiiare.     This  is  a  duplicate 
I  MS.  of  the  Delaware  Hymn  Book. 

8.  Litany  and  Liturgies  in  Delavmre. 

9.  Zeisberger's  own  MS.  Hymn  Book  in  Delaware, 

10.  Sermons  by  Zeisberger  in  Delaware. 

1 11.  Seventeen  Sermons  to   Childreyi.     This  is  a  duplicate   MS.  of  the 
printed  work. 

'^12.   Church  Litany  in  Delaware. 


/. 


...w--l^ 


■.kJ     ^ 


^— f — 


692 


LFF'E  AND    TIMES  OF 


13.  Short  Biblical  Narratives  in  Delaware. 
,14.    Vocabulary  in  Maqua  and  Delaware. 

The  above  fourteen  manuscripts,  together  with  some 
fragmentary  papers,  procured  from  the  Archives  of  the 
Church  at  GnadenhUtten,  Ohio,  were  delivered  to  Judge 
Lane,  of  that  State,  by  him  transmitted  to  the  Hon. 
Edward  Everett,  and  received  at  the  University  Library, 
January  21, 1850. 

The  Librarian  adds :  "  The  manuscripts  were  sorted, 
handsomely  bound  at  Mr.  Everett's  expense,  and  placed 
in  a  trunk  provided  and  lettered  expressly  for  the  pur- 
jpose,  and  put  in  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  Library, 
under  lock  and  key,  that  they  may  be  carefully  pre- 
served for  posterity,  and  at  the  same  time  often  call  the 
attention  of  visitors  to  the  labors  and  sacrifices  and  zeal 
of  as  worthy  a  class  of  missionaries  as  have  ever  gone 
'•forth  conquering  and  to  conquer  the  sins  of  the  world, 
since  the  days  of  the  Apostles." 


•\, 


DAVID  ZE18DEH0ER. 


698 


ml 


C II  APT  Eli    XLVIIL 

THE    INDIAN    MISSION   FROM    THE    DEATH   OF    ZEISBERflER    TO 
THE  PRESENT  TIME— 1809-1870. 

Mrs.  Zeisbcrger  leaves  the  Mission  and  retires  to  Betlilehcm. — Her 
death. — Goshen. — Death  of  Willium  Henry  Gclelemend. — Tlie  War 
of  1812. — Its  ruinous  consequences. — Fairfleld  destroyed. — llebuilt  in 
1815. — Cherokee  Mission  in  Georgia. — The  reservation  in  the  Tus- 
carawas valley  given  back  to  the  United  States. — Goshen  abandoned. 
— Emigration  of  a  part  of  the  Fairfield  Indians  to  the  West. — Tho 
Cherokees  expelled  from  Georgia. — The  stations  that  remain. 

After  the  ^eatli^of  Jb.gr^,]iusbandj  M'".^-  Zeiaberger  lin- 
gered for  ten  months  iii  the  yalley  where  he  had  hibored. 
The  Indians  revered  her  as  a  friend  whose  dcvotednessj 
to  their  interests  had  been  tried  by  many  self-denials  j 
and  constant  afflictions,  uad  had  never  been  found  ( 
wanting.  On  the  fourth  of  August,  1809,  they  assem-/ 
bled  in  the  Goshen  chapel  to  bid  her  farewell.  Hecke-l 
welder,  Mueller,  and  others  from  Gnadenhiitten  were! 
present,  and  Mortimer  rehearsed  and  commented  upon' 
the  last  messages  of  her  deceased  husband  to  the( 
Indians,  beseeching  these  to  consecrate  themselves] 
anew  to  God.  } 

A  week  later,  Mrs.  Zeisberger  left  the  Mission  and 
took  up  her  abode  at  Bethlehem,  where  she  spent  th^a 
remainder  of  her  life  in  the  "Widows'  House."    .§heN 
died  on   the  eiffhlh  of  September,  1824,  aged  eighty] 


i 


'% 


f 

il 

1 

'' :' 

094 


LIFE  AND    TIMES  OF 


i 


[^  ] 


'V     i 


years,  and  was  buried    in  what  is  now  tlie  old  grave- 
yard, where  iifty-six  representatives  of  tlie  raee  aniong 
which  she  and  her  husband  spent  their  days  are  sleeping 
by  her  side.     Sjie^  lej^jAu  chUd^on  to  ptM'petua^^^^ 
name  of  Zeisber^er.     It  has^died^ut  in  the  Church. 
^    In  the  second  year  after  her  departure  from  Goshen, 
j  William  Henry  Gelelemend  iinished  his  earthly  course, 
llle  was  one  of  the  last  converts  of  distinction  that  had 
/come  down  from  the  heroic  times  of  the  Mission,  and 
bore   an    irreproachable    character.     The  vices   of  the 
i  generation  which  he  had  lived  to  see  caused  him  deep 
I  sorrow,  and  he  protested,  even  with  his  dying  breath, 
.^against  its  degeneracy.' 

The  war  that  began  in  1812,  between  the  United 
I  States  and  Great  Britain,  g;i,vo  a  severe  blow  to  the  work 
\of  the  Church  among  the  aborigines.  The  station  on 
, the„W-est  baiik  of  the  Sandusky  was  broken  .up;  and 
I  Fairfield,  with  all  its  improvements^^yas^destro^d. 
.  The  battle  of  the  Thames  (October  5, 1813)  took  place 
near  this  town,  which  was  overrun  by  the  victorious 
Americans,  under  General  Harrison.  It  was  alleged 
that  some  of  its  Ir.dians  had  been  foremost  in  the  mas- 
sacre on  the  Raisin ;  and  although  the  imputation 
remained  without  the  least  proof,  the  village  was  plun- 
dered and  burned  to  the  ground,  including  the  Mission 
House  and  the  chapel.  The  converts  took  to  the  woods. 
Of  the  mission.'iries,  Schnall  aud  Michael  Jung,  the 
latter,  by  this  time,  an  aged  man  and  infirm  in  health. 


1  Ho  was  born  in  1737,  r.oar  the  Lehigh  Water-Gap,  in  Northampton 
County,  Pa.  , 


Ij  :  : 


DAVID  ZKISDERQER. 


695 


"%_ 


proceeded  to  Botliloheni,  while  Denkc  remained  to  care 
for  the  Indians.     lie  succeeded  in  bringing  them  from 
their  hiding-ph^ces,  and,  toward    the  end  of  the  year,':  ■-*^ 
they  built  a  vilhige  of  bark-huts  on  Lake  Ontario.     In 
the    following  spring  this  was  abandoned,  and  a  new      '-'k 
town  put  up  about  ten  miles  from  Burlington  Heights.!   -cy 
After   the  close  of  the  war,  the   converts  returned   io\"'-i^■^^ 
Fairliold,  and   lived  in  huts  on  its  site  until  they  had; 
built  a  permanent  settlement,  which  received  the  name  J 
of  New  Fairfield,  and  was  situated  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  from  the  former  village,  on  the  opposite  bank  of  y 
the  Thames,  but  back  from  the  river  (1815). 

Meantime^  the    Mission__amon^  the    Cherokees    inl 
Georgia  flourished.     It  embraced  two  stations:  the  one' 
called  Spring  Place,  on  the  site  of  the  town  of  that 
name  in   Murray  County,  the  other  at  Oochgelogy,  in  j 
Gordon  County  (1819). 

Goshen,  on  the  contrary,  declined,  and  the  reserva- ) 
tion  in  the  Tuscarawas  valley,  which  had  always  proved 
a  source  of  expense  and  not  of  revenue  to  the  "Society 
for  Propagating  the  Gospel,"  grew  at  last  to  be  an  in-J 
tolerable  burden.  Accordingly,  after  having  carried 
on  protracted  negotiations  with  Congress,  at  Washing- 
ton, Lewis  David  de  Schweinitz,  the  representative  of 
the  Society,  met  Lewis  Cass,  the  Commissioner  of  the 
United  States,  at  Gnadenhiitten,  and  concluded  a  treaty 
with  him  (August  4,  1823),  according  to  the  stipula- 
tions of  which  the  Society  was  divested  of  its  trust  of 
land.  On  the  eiohth  of  November,  a  second  treaty  was 
held  with  the  Christian  Indians,  at  which  they  ratified 


.i  I 


/ 


t 


■K-^ 


■■"V" 


69G 


LIFE  AND   TIMES  OF 


f 


the  former.     The  United  States  promised  them,  in  lieu 

J  of  the  land,  an  annuity  of  $400  ;  or,  if  they  preferred 
removing  to  some  other  part  of  its  domains,  a  new 
grant  of  twenty-four  thousand  acres.      On  the  lirst  of 
:^j  April,  1824,  the  deed  of  retrocession  was  executed. 


3^ 


X.i 


Goshen  was  now  abandoned,  and  the  little  remnant  of 


^- 


Ll-r 


t 


^     /  converts  joined  the  Mission  in  Canada. 

/In  August,   1837,  nearly  two-thirds   of  the   Indians 
/emigrated  to  the  Far  West.     Some  of  them  spent  two 
lyears   near  Stockbridge,  a   Mohican   station,  on  Lake 
iWinnebago,    in   Wisconsin ;    the    rest    settled   in   Ne- 
foraska   Territory,  now   the    State   of   Kansas,   on    the 
, Kansas  River,  eight  miles  from  its  junction  with  the 
i Missouri,   calling    the    place    Westfield.      They   were 
;  joined    by   their    brethren    from    Wisconsin,  in   1839. 
Westfield  was  abandoned  in  1853,  and  a  new  station 
begun  on  the  bank  of  the  Missouri,  near  to  what.is  now 
.  Leavenworth  City.     After  the  lapse  of  six  years,  it  was 
1  again  moved  a  distance  of  fifty  miles  to  the  southwest, 
i  on  the  Little  Osage,  where  New  Westfield  arose.     This 
I  station  remains. 

The  Cherokee  Mission  in  Georgia  came  to  an  end  in 
consequence  of  the  troubles  which  broke  out  between 
the  settlers  and  the  natives,  and  their  forcible  expulsion 
from  that  State.  In  the  autumn  of  1837,  the  major' *y  of 
the  converts  emigrated  to  the  territory  beyond  Arkan- 
sas. The  rest  followed  in  1838.  A  new  Mission  was 
inaugurated  on  the  Barren  Fork  of  Illinois,  a  branch  of 
the  Arkansas  River,  about  thirty  miles  west  of  the  State 
line,  and   thirty-five   miles   northeast  of  Fort  Gibson. 


^. 


C^-..Attr:^^^--^'-^-^ 


DAVID  ZEISBERGER. 


697 


lu  1840,  this  Mission  waa  transferred  to  the  neishbor-^ 
....  / 

hood  of  Beattio's  Prairie,  where  a  station  was  estab- 
lished which  received  the  name  of  Canaan.     Two  years 
later,  a  second  station,  New  Spring  Place,  was  begun, 
and  subsequently  a   third,  known    as  Mt.  Zion.      The 
entire  Mission  among  the  Cherokees  camo  to  a  violent) 
end  in  the  Southern  Rebellion,  a  national  assistant  being , 
murdered  by  the  seceding  party,  and  the  other  mission- [ 
aries  obliged  to  flee  for  their  lives  (1862).     In  1866,  NewJ 
Spring  Place  was  resuscitated. 

Thus  it  aopears  that  the  Church,  at  the  present  day, 

^^^  .       .  .  """^  .  ""     ' 

has  but  tht'eojnissi^narj;  stations  among  the  aborigines: 

2f--SHX-S£H.yl-Vy^TAl^5  ''"^ ^.'i^*^P>^^r^  West^  the  second  in! 
Kansas,  and  the  third  in  the  Cherokee  country.     Thei 
time  may  not  be  far  distant  when  even  these  will  dis- 
appear, and  nothing  remain  of  the  Moravian  Mission 
among  the  North  American  Indians,  as  nothing  remains  i 
of  the  work  of  the  Jesuit  Fathers,  except  its  wonderful  i 
history,  to  teach  future  generations  zeal  for  God  and  / 
faithfulness  unto  death. 


i^ 


APPENDIX. 


A  BRIEF   SKETCH  OF  THE  MORAVIAN  CHURCH. 


/     The  Churcli  of  the  United  Brethren,  or  Unitas  Fratrum, 

I  commonly  called  the  Moravian  Church  because  her  first  mem- 

1  bers  at  the  time  of  her  resuscitation  came  from  Moravia,  was 

J  founded,  in  1457,  on  the  baron\'  of  Lititz,  in  Bohemia,  by  pious 

followers  of  the  Bohemian  reformer  and  martyr,  John'Huss. 

Her  original  ministjL\rsjverej}r 

Church.     In  1467  she  obtained  the  episcopacy  from  a  Bohe- 
.niian  colony  of  TValdenses,  who  had  themselves  received  it 
}  from  the  National  Establishment.     In  spite  of  frequent  perse- 
cutions she  flourished  greatly,  and  about  the  time  that  Martin 
Luther  began  the   reformation  of  the  sixteenth  century,  had 
more  than  four  hundred  churches  in   Bohemia  and    Moravia, 
together  with  a  membership  of  at  least  two  hundred  thousand 
souls,  among  whom  were  some  of  the  oldest  and  noblest  families 
of  the  land.     From  thisjifliat  of  vi(nv  the  Brethren  propcrlY  bear 
■/the  titlcj^i!J^R£fornKu:§„lje^  "     In  the  course 

lof  time  they  established  themselves  in  Poland  also.     The  three 
^branches  of  their  Church  were  organically  united  as  one,  through 
the  agency  of  a  General  Synod  ;  hence  the  v\axx\G _Unitas  Fra- 
\trum. 

In  the  first  quarter  of  the  seventeenth  century,  Ferdinand  of 
Tyrol  began  the  Anti-reformation  in  Bohemia  and  Moravia. 
^Thc  Church  of  the  Brethren,  and  all  other  cvantrelical  churches 
lof  these  two  countries,  were  destroyed.    The  Polish  branch  con- 
tinued for  some  time  longer,  but  was  gradually  amalgamated 
with  the  Reformed  Church.     In  Moravia,  however,  many  fami- 
lies secretly  maintained  the  faith  and  practice  of  their  fathers  ; 
(698) 


Jxt/t  c  C^'^iV-v^-^" 


^.K**«W*"«*' "'•*'*'*' ■'*'**'*^»»^iM , 


"•'•"'^^'nct..^... 


APPENDIX. 


699 


hi: 


■Hl^ 


while  Bishop  John  Amos  Comenius,  filled  with  an  almost 
prophetical  anticipation  of  the  renewal  of  the  Church,  cared  for 
the  preservation  of  the  episcopacy,  with  which  clerg'ynien  in 
the  Reformed  Church  were  invested,  from  time  to  time,  that  the 
succession  might  not  die  out. 

His  hopes  wcrfl  fulfilled  in  1722,  when  an  awr.koning  took  , 
place  among  the  descendants  of  the  Brethren,  through  the  in-/ 
strumentality  of  Christian  David,  and  a  number  of  them  fled 
from  Moravia  to  Saxony,  where  they  found  an  asylum  on  the; 
estate  of  Berthelsdorf,  belonging  to  Count  Nicholas  Lewis  Zin- ; 
zendorf. 

This  pious  nobleman,  born  May  26,  1700,  at  Dresden,  event-, 
ually  resigned  a  high  oflBce  which  he  held  at  the  Saxon  court,  I 
and  devoted  himself  and  his  pr(*perty  to  the  interests  of  theLr 
refugees.  They  built  the  town  of  Ilerrnhut,  introduced  thej 
discipline  of  the  Bohemian  Brethren,  and,  in  1735,  received  thel 
episcopacy,  from  Bishops  Jablonsky  and  Sitkovius,  the  two  sur-  ' 
vivors  of  the  ancient  line.  Thus  the  Church  was  renewed,  and 
soon  spread  on  the  Continent  of  Europe,  to  Great  Britain,  and  to  ; 
North  America.  Iler  first  bishop  was  David  Nitschmann  and  | 
Mt'r  second  Count  Zinzendorf.  | 

^- aring  the  lifetime  of  the  latter  he  was  her  virtual  head.  \ 
A  :er  his  death  (May  9,  17G0),  a  system  of  government  was-i 
introduced,  which  still  exists  in  a  modified  form. 

The  present  Unilas  i*Vairu«i__embraces  three  ecclesiastical ; 
provinces — the  Continental,  the  British,  and  the  American.  Each  i 
province  is  independent  in  all  provincial  matters,  ami  governed  ;' 
by  a  Provincial  Synod,  which  elects  an  Executive  Board,  called  i  C 
the  "  Provincial  Elders'  Conference;"  but  all  the  provinces  are  ' 
united  in  matters  of  doctrine,  ritual,  and  discipline,  and  carry! 
on  the  work  of  Foreign  Missions  as  one  church.     Iltnipojhere^ip 
a  GeneralSynodjjvhjjch  meets  every  ten  jcars,  and  consists  of 
an  viqual  number  of  delegates  from  the  Continent.  qfEgiuope, 
Great  lir i t am,  and  tiio  United  States.     This  Synod  elects  ani 
Executive  Board,  known  as  the  "  Unity's  Elders'  Co£ference,"'j 
to  which  is  committed  the  general  oversight  of  the  Unitas  Fra- 
trum  and  the  control  of  the  various  foreign  missions.     It  has 


A.-' 


■'■^ 


^■^ 


•-C 


\ 


!- 


(1:1;: 


700 


APPENDIX. 


!its  seat  in  the  castle  of  Count  Zinzendorf,  at  Berthelsdorf,  about 
one  mile  from  Herrnhut,  in  Saxony. 

TliQ.  work  of  foreign  missions  is  the  principal  field  of  Ijdjor  in 
I  which  the  Clmreh  en^a^cs.    This  fifiJJicnlbl^ce^J[Jl^ecIl]aI^ 
;  I'ador^paiMLs  of  the  Indjan  coimtjT^  the  Moscjuito 

JCoast,  the  islands  of  St.  Thomas,  St.  John,  St.  Croix,  Jamaica, 
.Antigua,   St.  Kitts,  Barbadoes   and  Tobago,   Surinam,  South 
Africa,  Australia,  and  Thibet.     There  are  eighty-seven  regular 
stations;  three  hundred  and  seven  preaching  places;  three  huu- 
,  dred  and  thirteen  laborers  from  Europe  and  America,  including 
one  hundred  and  fifty -two  female  assistants  ;  one  thousand  and 
fifteen  native  assistants ;  eight  normal  schools ;  two  hundred 
and  thirty  other  schools ;  and  seventy  thousand  three  hundred 
and  eleven  converts.' 
,    FpivfurthQr  informatmn  ^^^ 
\  Moray^an J^anyay.'  second.editijgn JSethl^hem^^l^ 


I 


GEOGRAPHICAL  GLOSSARY. 


This  Glossary  coiiiains  the  names  of  those  Indian  towns,  early  settle-  / 
vients,  forts,  rivers,  and  creeks  which  occur  in  the  "■Life  and  Times  of  - 
David  Zcisberger,"  with  the  exception  of  such  as  arc  niell  knoion  and  cant 
readily  he  found  on  any  map  of  the  United  States. 


f^ 


Adamstown. — An  early  settlement  in  Lancaster  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, twenty  miles  north  of  the  City  of  Lancaster. 

Allemaengel. — Lynn  Township,  in  Lehigh  County,  and  Alhany 
Township,  in  Berks  County,  Pennsylvania.  Tlio__ftafl20_signifies 
general  destitution. 

ANAlOT.T^An  Iroquois  tpwn,  in  the  Tuscarora  country,  on  the  main 
trail  from  Albany  to  Onondaga. 

Aquanshicola. — A  creek  flowing  through  the  first  valley  north  of  the 
Blue  Mountains,  in  Pennsylvania,  and  emptying  into  the  Lehigh 
at  the  Gap. 

AssiNNissiNK.— A  Monscy  town  in  Steuben  County,  New  York,  near 
the  confluence  of  the  Tioga  and  the  Conhocton.  The  residence  of 
Jache.abus,  the  leader  of  the  war  party  that  committed  the  massacre 
on  the  Mahony,  in  1755. 

AssuNUNKJ^3:^A  town  of  the  Turkey,  Tribe  of.  Pel_awares,  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary War,  on  the  Hockhocking,  in  Ohio. 


!i 


;*■' ; 


Beersheba. — Formerly  a  Moravian  church,  in  Clay  Township,  Tus- 
carawas County,  Ohio,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Tuscarawas  River. 
It  stood  on  the  farm  of  Benedict  Gross. 

Bethlehem.  — A  borough  in  Bethlehem  Township,  Northampton 
County,  Pennsylvania,  twelve  miles  southwest  of  Easton.  It  was 
formerly  a  Moravian  town,  where  none  but  Moravians  were  per- 
mitted to  own  real  estate,  and  it  is  still  their  chief  seat  in  the  United 
States.     The  exclusive  polity  was  relinquished  in  1843. 

(701) 


702 


GEOGRAPHICAL   GLOSSARY. 


Black  Eiver. — A  rivor  flowing  through  Lorain  County,  Ohio,  into 
Luke  Erie. 

BuiSTOL. — A  borough  in  Buclis  County,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  Dela- 
ware River,  nineteen  miles  above  Philadelphia,  and  one  of  the 
earliest  softlcmcnts  in  the  State.     Founded  in  1697. 

Brokk.v  Swouu  Creek. — A  creek  in  Ohio  flowing  into  the  Sandusky 
River,  in  Wyandot  County. 

BuciiCABUCiiKA  Creek.— The  sianie  as  the  Pocopoco  or  Big  Creek,  in 
Carbon  County,  Pennsylvania,  emptying  into  the  Lehigh  River  at 
Parryvillo. 

Buffalo. — See  Charlcstown. 

Buffalo  Creek. — A  creek  flowing  through  the  "Panhandle"  of 
Virginia,  and  emptying  into  the  Ohio  River,  at  WoUsburg. 


o. 

Catskill  Creek. — A  creek  in  Greene   County,  New  York,  flowing 

into  the  Hudson,  at  (-,  .skill. 
Captina  Creek. — A  creek  in  Belmont  County,  Ohio,  flowing  into  the 

Ohio  River. 
Camp  Union. — Lewisburg,  Greenbrier  County,  Virginia 
Cahokia. — A  French,  and  later  a  Britisli  village  and  post  on  the  east 

bank  of  the  Mississippi,  in  St.  Clair  County,  Illinois. 
Cayahaga. — The  Cuyahoga  River  of  Ohio,  flowing  into  Lake  Erie,  at 

Cleveland. 
C^VKAJOHARiExT-An  Iroquoijjown  ofJth.g,Mohawlsjj|itiop,  on  the  right 

bank  of  the  Mohawk,  in  Montgomery  County,  New  York,  on  the 

site  of  the  present  town  of  the  same  name. 
Cayuga. — An  Iroquois  town^  the  capUalj)f  the  Cayuga  nation,  on  the 

site  of  the  present  village  of  the  same  name,  on  the  eastern  shore 

of  Lake  Cayuga,  in  Cayuga  County,  New  York. 
Canal  Dover. — A  town  in  Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio,  on  the  west  bank 

of  the  Tuscarawas  River. 
Camp  Charlotte. — The  spot  where  Lord  Dunmore  concluded  peace 

with  the  Shawanese  and  Mingoes,  in  1774,  on  the  left  bank  of  Sippo 

Creek,  seven  miles  southeast  of  Circleville,  in  Pickaway  County, 

Ohio. 

fAPTiVES'  Town. — The  name  given,  in  the  "  Life  and  Times  of  David 
Zeisberger,"  to  the  village  built  by  the  Christian  Indians,  in  1781, 
on  the  Sandusky  River,  about  eleven  miles  below  Upper  Sandusky, 
in  Antrim  Township,  Wyandot  County,  Ohio. 
Christianshrunn. — Formerly  a  Moravian  farm  and  small  settlement, 
with  a  chapel,  two  miles  from  Nazareth,  on  the  road  to  Bath,  in 
Northampton  County,  Pennsylvania. 


GEOGRAPHICAL  GLOSSABY. 


703 


CiiARLESTOWN.— Xow  "WMlsburg,  at  the  oonfluenoe  of  Butrulo  Croek 
and  the  Ohio  Kivor,  in  Brooke  County,  Virj^inia.  This  settlement 
was  also  culled  Butlalo, 

CnoAyscniCAyuENK,— An  Indian  name  for  Virginia. 

Cii]i:LpKnATY.--^Sba«faQ.esO  town  at  the 'heads  ot^the  Scioto,  in  Ohio, 
in  1772. 

CuATVAyo  -  One  of  tb.Q  jQ,wec.ShawAUCSii.J^mtns  of  the  Muskingum 
valley,  Ohio,  in  1772. 

CiiiLLicoTUE.— See  Old  Chillieothe. 

CusTOyWACKiy.— An  Indian  villago  on  the  JJelfly^irn  Hiver,  fifteen 
miles  south  of  tfie  Gap. 

Columbia. — One  of  the  first  settlements  on  the  Miami  Tract,  in  Ham- 
ilton County,  Ohio,  five  miles  from  Cincinnati. 

Columbia. — A  borough  in  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania,  on  tho 
loft  bank  of  the  Susquehanna. 

CowANE.SQUE  Crekk. — A  crcck  of  Pennsylvania,  rising  in  Potter 
County  and  flowing  into  the  Tioga  River,  in  Steuben  County,  New 
York." 

CouDERSPOUT. — The  capital  of  Potter  County,  Pennsylvania,  on  the 
Alleghany  River. 

CONHOCTON. — A  river  of  New  York,  rising  in  Steuben  County  and 
uniting  with  the  Tioga  to  form  the  Chemung. 

Coshocton. — The  capital  of  Coshocton  County,  Ohio,  on  tho  left  bank 
of  the  3Iuskingum,  just  bek)w  tho  junction  of  tho  Tuscarawas  and 
W.alhonding. 

Crown,  The. — A  tc'crn  belonging  to  the  Moravians,  and  opened  in 
1745,  on  tho  south  side  of  tho  Lehigh,  opposite  Bethlehem,  Penn- 
sylvania. Tho  building  stood  near  the  Depot  of  the  Lehigh  Val- 
ley and  North  Pennsylvania  Railroads. 


k  i 


■    ID.  ' 

Damascus. — Name  of  the  lower  town  of  Ooschgoschiink,  which  see. 
Dansbury.— Stroudsburg,  Monroe  County,  Pennsylvania. 


Easton. — The  capital  of  Northampton  County,  Pennsylvania,  at  tho 
junction  of  tho  Lehigh  with  tho  Delaware  River. 

Ephrata. — Tho  seat  of  the  Seventh-Day  Baptists,  in  Ephrata  Town- 
ship, Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania,  thirteen  miles  northeast  of 
Lancaster  City. 

Esopus.— Now  Kingston,  the  capital  of  Ulster  County,  New  York. 


704 


GEOGRAPHICAL  GLOSSARY. 


ii 


'"** Fatrpje^.t). — 4  ^^*'j;i^jjj^  Tridinn  town  on  XUq  riplit  bank  .of  tlifl  fiiver 

Thames^  in  the  Township  of  Oxford,  Canudu,.Wcat. 
Falcknku  Sciiwamm. — Fnlckncr  Swamp,  so  rnmod  iiftor  Daniel  Falck- 

nor,  who  settled  there  about  1700.     It  included  the  Townships  of 

Uanovcr  and  Fredci  ick,  in  Montgomery  County,  Pennsylvania. 
Falls  of  tiik  Ohio. — Louisville,  Kentucky. 
FoKT  Adams. — On  the  St.  Mary's  lllvcr,  Ohio,  between  Fort  Defiance 

and  Fort  llecovery. 
FoKT  Allen. — On  the  site  of  Weissport,  Carbon  County,  Pennsylvania. 
Fort  Bedford. — On  the  site  of  Bedford,  the  capital  of  Bedford  County, 

Pennsylvania. 
Fort  Brewerton. — At  the  west  end  of  Lake  Oneida,  in  New  York. 
Fort  Bull. — On  the  site  of  Home,  Oneida  County,  Now  York.     See 

Foj't  aianwix. 
Fort  Cuartres.— On  the  Mississippi,  in  Illinois,  above  Kaskaskia. 
Fort  Crown  Point. — On  the  site  of  Crown  Point,  on  the  western  shore 

of  Lake  Clnunplain,  in  Essex  County,  New  York. 
Fort  Cumberland. — On  the  site  of  Cumberland,  on  the  left  bank  of 

the  Potomac,  in  Maryland. 
Fort  Defiance. — At  the   junction    of   the  Auglaize  and  Maumee 

Ilivers,  in  Defiance  County,  Ohio. 
FoRTDfiXROiT. — On  the  site  of  the  City  of  Detroit,  in  Michigan. 
Fort  Duquesne. — On  the  site  of  the  City  of  Pittsburg,  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. 
Fort  Fincastle. — On  the  site  of  Wheeling,  Virginia. 
Fort  Finney. — On  the  left  bank  of  the  Miami  Eiver,  at  its  junction 

with  the  Ohio,  in  the  southwestern  extremity  of  the  State  of  Ohio. 

A  post  established  for  the  treaty  held  there  in  178G. 
^■■•■♦FoRT  Frontenac— -Oji  the  site  of  Kingston,  in  Canada. 

Fort  Hamilton. — On  the  site  of  Hamilton,  Butler  County,  Ohio,  on 

the  Miami,  twenty-five  miles  from  Cincinnati. 
Fort  Harmar. — On  the  right  bank  of  the  Muskingum,  at  its  junction 

with  the  Ohio. 
Fort  Henry. — The  same  as  Fort  Fincastle.     It  received  the  name  of 

Fort  Henry  in  1776. 
Fort  Jefferson. — In  Jefierson  Township,  Preble  County,  Ohio,  near 

the  line  between  Ohio  and  Indiana,  forty-iive  miles  from  Fort 

Hamilton. 
Fort  La  Baye. — On  the  site  of  Greenbay,  Wisconsin. 
Fort  Laurens. — On  the  right  bank  of  the  Tuscarawas,  a  little  below 

Sandy  Creek,  in  Lawrence  To'vnsbip,  Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio. 


-^!^r 


GEOGRAPHICAL   GLOSSARY. 


705 


Fort  Le  B(EUF. — On  French  Creek,  in  Erie  County,  Pennsylvania, 

about  fourteen  miles  south  of  Erie. 
Fort  Ligoniek. — On  the  road  from  Bedford  to  Pittsburg,  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, a  few  miles  west  of  the  Laurel  Hill  Mountains, 
Fort  McIntosii. — On  the  site  of  Beaver,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Beaver 

River,  in  Beavor  County,  Pennsylvania. 
Fort  Miami. — On  the  Maumco  River,  near  Port  Wayne,  Indiana. 
FouT  MiciiiLLiMACKiNAC. — On  tlio  south  side  of  the  Straits  of  Macki- 
naw, between  Lakes  Michigan  and  Huron. 
'^"'ORT  Niagara. — On  the  right  bunk  of  the  Niagara  River,  at  its  entrance 
yito  Lake  Ontario. 
Fort  Oswkgo. — On  the  site  of  Oswego,  on  Lake  Ontario. 
Fort  Ouatanon. — A  short  distance  below  Lafayette,  in  Indiana. 
Fort  Pitt. — On  the  site  of  the  City  of  Pittsburg,  in  Penu.sylvania. 
Fort  Point  Pleasant. — At  the  mouth  of  the  Kanawha  River,  in 

Mason  County,  Virginia. 
Fort  Presque  Isle. — On  the  site  of  the  City  of  Erie,  Pennsylvania. 
Fort  Recovery. — In   Recovery  Township,  Mercer   County,  Ohio,  on 

St.  Clair's  battle-lield. 
Fort  Sandusky. — Near  the  site  of  Sandusky  City,  Ohio,  on  Sandusky 

Bay. 
Fort  Stanwix. — On  the  site  of  Rome,  Oneida  County,  New  York. 

This  fort  and  Fort  Bull  formed  one  post. 
Fort  St.  Josephs. — On  Lake  Michigan,  at  the  n  outh  of  the  St.  Joseph's 

River,  in  Berrien  County,  Michigan. 
Fort  Venango. — At  junction  of  French  Creek  with  the  Alleghany 
River,  in  Venango  County,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  site  of  Franklin. 
Fort  Vincennes. — On  the  site  of  Vincennes,  on  the  left  bank  of  the 

Wabasli,  in  Knox  County,  Indiana. 
Fort  Washington. — Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
Fort  AYayne. — On  the  site  of  Fort  Wayne,  at  the  confluence  of  the  St. 

Joseph's  and  St.  Mary's  Rivers,  in  Allen  County,  Indiana. 
Fort  William  Henry. — At  the  southern  extremity  of  Lake  George, 

New  York. 
Frankeord. — An  early  settlement  in  Philadelphia  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, now  a  part  of  the  City  of  Philadelphia. 
Freehold. — An  early  settlement  in   Greene  County,  New  York,  on 

Catskill  Creek. 
FRijipENssTAia'.-::;:^' Citj  of  Fcit£c'^(\^^  A .Chiistiaji 

IjjdJJUi.t.QWn,  iirst  on  the  east  then  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Beaver 
River,  between  the  Shenango  River  and  Slippery  Rock  Creek,  in 
Lawrence  County,  Pennsylvania. 

45 


I 


706 


GEOGRAPHICAL   GLOSSARY. 


to\7n  near  Bpthlehem,  Pcnnsylvaniii,atthe  footof  tho  ridgo  crowned 
with  tho  Gas-Woiks  and  on  tho  slope  of  the  hill  above  the  Skating- 
Park. 

Friedensiiuttkn  (TVic  aeccmd)  — "Tents  of  Pcaco.^' A^i^l?''?.!'!?!?^^"" 

dian  town, on  tlioonsl sulo of' Tlie  Susquehanna  River,  opposite  Sugar 
Run,  two  miles  bolow  Wyalusing,  and  one  and  u  half  miles  above 
Browntown  P.  O.,  on  i\u'.  farm  of  the  Hon.  Levi  P.  Stalford,  in 
Bradford  County,  Pennsylvania.  •• 


Or. 

Gaxataraoe. — 'An  Iroquois  towj  of  the  Cayuga  country. 

Ganiataraqecuiat. — Lake  Cavuga,  in  New  York. 

Ganatisooa. — An  Iroquois  town  of  the  Tuscarora  country. 

Gamocuserage. — An  Iroquois  to\y  n  of  the  Tuscarora  country. 

GANUTARAaE. — An  Iroquois  town,  of  the  Cayuga  country,  on  Lake 
Cayuga. 

Ganataqueh. — An  Iroquoig  town  of  the  Seneca  country. 

Ganatocherat. — An  Iroquois_  town  of  the  Cayuga  country,  on  the 
Chemung  River,  near  the  New  York, line. 

Germantown. — An  early  settlement  in  Philadelphia  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, now  a  part  of  the  City  of  Philadelphia. 

Gbkelemukpechunk. — The  first  capital  of  the  Delaware^nation  in 
Ohio,  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Tuscarawas  River,  in  Oxford  Town- 
ship, Tuscarawas  County.  It  occupied  the  outlots  of  Newcomers- 
town. 

GiQEYUKK. — Fort  Wayne,  Indiana. 

Gnadenhutten  (TOe  firsil.—['  Tents  of  Grace."  A  Chri^tiap  t^dfgji 
town  on  the  Mahony  Creek,  near  its  junction  with  the  Lehigh,  in 
Carbon  County,  Pennsylvania.  It  occupied  the  slope  of  the 
hill  crownec  'vith  the  burial-ground  of  Lehighton. 

GkadenhuttenJ  T/ie  seconrfj. — A  Christian  Indian  town  on  the  east 
DainroF"t1be  Lehigh  River,  in  Carbon  County,  Pennsylvania,  occu- 
pying the  site  of  Weissport. 

Gnadenhutten  f  TAe  third)^.-^^  Moravijttn  settlement  of  white  per- 
sons on  the  same  site  as  Qnadenliiiiten  the  second.  This  settlement 
grew  into  the  town  of  "Weissport. 

Gnadenhutten  (^TAe^wr^/i). — A  Christian  Indian  town  on  the  Tus- 
carawas ftiver,  in  Clay  J^wnship,  Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio,  lying 
in  tho  outskirts  of  tho  p^«nt  Gnadenhiitten. 
I  Gnadenhutten  (The  fifth). -^a.  Moravian  village  on  the  Tuscarawas 
River,  in  Clay  Township,  Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio,  founded  after 
the  return  of  a  part  of  the  Christian  Indians  froip  jQaga^a  to  the 
reservation  granted  by  the  Congress  of  the  United  States. 


GEOGRAPHICAL   GLOSSARY. 


707 


Gnadknthal. — Formerly  a  Mornvinn  sottloment  noar  Nnzaroth,  in 
Northampton  County,  rennsylvania;  now  the  County  Poor  Houso. 

GQK.Btt8JNO.—"  Habitation  of  Owls."  Owl  Creek,  now  the  Vernoii 
River,  flowing  through  Knox  County,  Ohio,  and  emptying  into  tho 
Walhonding. 

GoaciiooscniJNK.— A  Mousey  Indian  town  on  the  oast  bank  of  the 
Alleghany,  not  far  from  the  mouth  of  Tionesta  Creek,  in  Venango 
County,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  place  where  Zeisberger  established 
a  Mission  after  the  Pontiac  War. 

GoscUACHouKK.— The  seyoDiJftttnital  of  the  Delaware  nation  in  Ohio, 
built  on  the  site  of  Coshocton,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Muskin- 
gum, just  below  the  junction  of  the  Tuscarawas  and  Walhonding, 
in  Coshocton  County. 

Goshen. — An  early  settlement  in  Orange  County,  New  York. 

GosHKK. — The  last  Christian  Indian  town  founded  by  Zeisberger,  on 
the  west  bank  of  the  Tuscarawas  River,  in  Goshen  Township,  Tus- 
carawas County,  Ohio,  seven  miles  northeast  of  Gnadonhiitten.  Ft 
was  situated  on  what  is  now  the  farm  of  Jacob  Keller. 

Greenville. — General  Wayne's  fortified  camp  in  1793,  on  the  site  of 
Greenville,  the  capital  of  Darke  County,  Ohio. 

Great  Meadows. — Ten  miles  east  of  Uniontown,  Payette  County 
Pennsylvania,  on  the  Youghiogheny. 

Great  Island. — Lock  Haven,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  West  Branch 
of  the  Susquehanna,  in  Clinton  County,  Pennsylvania. 

Great  Swamp. — Called  also  the  PincSwamp^ov  Shades_of_J)_(g.ih,  on 
the  plateau  orCIic'liroad  Mountain,  in  Monroe  and  Carbon  Coun- 
ties, Pennsylvania. 

Greenbrier  Country. — Lowisburg,  Greenbrier  County,  Virginia. 


BC. 


Hachniaqe.— An  Iroquois  town  ht  the  Seneca  country. 

Haarlem. — An  early  settlement  of  Ne'.v  York,  now  a  suburb  of  the 
City  of  New  York. 

Harris's  Ferry. — Harrisburg,  the  capital  of  Pennsylvania. 

Heidelberg. — Formerly  a  Moravian  log  church,  in  North  Heidelberg 
Township,  Berks  County,  Pennsylvania. 

Hebron. — Formerly  a  Moravian  stone  church  and  parsonage,  in  the 
outskirts  of  Lebanon,  Lebanon  County,  Pennsylvania.  The  build- 
ing was  used  as  a  military  prison  for  the  Hessians  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary War. 

Hope. — Formerly  a  Moravian  town,  in  Sussex  County,  New  Jersey. 

HocKHOCKiNG  RiVEB. — A  rivcr  of  Ohio,  rising  in  the  southeastern  cen- 


708 


GEOGRAPHICAL  'GLOSS A  R F. 


tral  part  of  the  State  and  flowing  into  the  Ohio  Eivor,  twonty-flvo 
miles  below  Marietta. 
Huron  Eiver.— Now   the    Clinton    River,  flowing  through   Macoml^ 
County,  Michigan,  into  Lake  St.  Clair. 

I. 

Indaoohaik.— The  name  given  by  the  Dclawaresto^I^jchtenau  (w/aV/j 

see),  after  the  exodus  of  the  Christian  IndiansT 
luisu  Settlement. — An  early  settlement  of  Scotch-Irish  below  Bath, 

in  Northampton  County,  Pennsylvania. 


JoBlNSXOWN.. — The  seat  of  Sir  William  Johnson,  in  th9  Jlohp.wk  coun- 
JT^,  in  Fulton  County,  New  York.     Culled  also  Kqlaiifiiia. 

Kaskaskunk. — AJIonsejf  Indian  town  orii;inally  at  the  junction  of  tho 
Slicnango  and  Mahoning  TTivors,  in  Lawrence  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania ;  afterward  removed  to  tlic  site  of  New  Castle,  tho  capital  of 
Lawrence  County.  It  was  the  residence  of  PackankC)  chjcf  of  thf 
^^fjrjie.  ""     '  ~* 

Kaskaskia. — On  the  right  or  west  bank  of  tho  Kaskaskia  River,  two 
miles  east  of  tho  Mississippi  River,  in  Randolph  County,  Illinois. 

Klsoiikubi.— A  Shawanese  town,  at  the  heads  of  the  Scioto,  in  Ohio. 

Kittannino. — An  Indian  town  on  tho  Alleghany,  about  twenty  miles 
above  Fort  Duquesne. 

KoLANEKA. — See  Johnstown. 

KuEQumJEKU;j--An_Indj^an  name  for  Philadelphia. 


Lawunakhaknek. — A  temporary  Christian  Indian  town,  three  miles 
auove  Goscngoschiink  {vihich  see),  on  tho  east  bank  of  the  Alleghany 
River,  in  Venango  County,  Pennsylvania. 

Languntoutenunk. — See  Friedensstadt. 

LAAPHAWACiiTiNK.;;^;vAn  Indian  name  for  New  York. 

Lackawaxen  Creek. — Also  called  Lechawacksein,  rises  in  tho  northern 
part  of  Pennsylvania,  in  Wayne  County,  and  enters  the  Delaware 
in  Pike  County. 

Lackawannock  Creek. — Rises  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  falls  into  the  North  Branch  of  the  Susquehanna  River, 
about  ton  miles  above  Wilkesbarre. 

Lechau week^— The  Lehigh  Rivgr ,  in  Pennsylvania. 

Lechauwitonk. — Easton,  Pennsylvania. 


ijf 


m"? 


GEOORA PHICA  L   GLOSSAR Y. 


709 


LEnion  RiVKR.— A  rivor  of  Pennsylvania  rising  in  the  pino  swnmpB 
of  Luzorno,  riiio,  and  Monroo  Counties,  flowing  througli  tlio  coul 
region  of  Carbon  County,  and  emptying  into  tlie  Delaware  at 
Easton. 

Leuioh  Hills.— a  ridgo  bounding,  on  the  south,  the  lower  part  of  the 
Leliigh  valley,  in  Northampton  County,  Pennsylvania. 

Lenapewiuittuck.— The  River  Dela\vare. 

Lehietan.— The  Bu!.hkill  Creek  near  Nazareth,  Pennsylvania,  empty- 
ing into  tlKJ  Delaware  at  Easton. 

LicnTEyATJ.--A  Christian  Indian  town,  on  the  east  bank  the  Mus- 
kingum.  two  and  a  half  miles  below  Coshocton,  on  the  farms 
of  Samuel  Moore  and  Samuel  Forker,  in  Tuscarawas  Township, 
Co.shocton  County ,  Ohio. 

LiTiz. — Formerly  an  exclusively  Moravian  town,  in  Warwick  Town- 
ship, Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania,  eight  miles  from  the  City  of 
Lancaster.     The  exclusive  system  was  abrogated  in  1855. 

LONQ  Island. — Jersey  Shore,  a  borough  of  Lyeoming  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, on  the  West  Branch  of  the  Susquehanna  River. 

LoGSTOWN. — A  French  and  Indian  village,  fourteen  miles  below  Pitts- 
burg, on  the  right  bank  of  the  Ohio. 

LouiSBURG. — Formerly  a  strong  fortress  and  sea-port  of  the  French,  on 
the  southeastern  shore  of  Cape  Breton. 

Lower  Sanduskt. — A  trading  post  and  Wyandot  village,  the  present 
Fremont,  capital  of  Sandusky  County,  Ohio. 


'»'  L 
'I 


1>K. 

Maquktsche. — Emmaus,  Lehigh  County,  Pennsylvania.  It  was  origi- 
nally a  Moravian  town  ;  now  it  is  an  incorporated  borough. 

M^tCHiWlJiiyJsiNa.— An  In^ijan_Jo^ji^J8^^j;adford  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, on  or  near  the  site  of  Friedenshutten  the  second,  which  see. 

Marietta. — The  first  town  of  white  settlers  in  Ohio,  on  the  left  bank 
of  the  Muskingum  River,  at  its  confluence  with  the  Ohio,  the 
capital  of  Washington  County. 

Menagachsukkk. — An  Indian  name  for  Bethlehem,  Pennsylvania. 

Meniolagomekak. — An  Indian  town  and  afterward  a  Mission  station 
in  Smith's  valley,  eight  miles  west  of  the  Wind  Gap,  on  the  north 
bank  of  the  Aquanshicola,  in  Eldred  Township,  Monroo  County, 
Pennsylvania. 

MiGHBfiSCHAT^-^^r.^hftiy^j^sis^own,  at  the  heads  of  the  Scioto,  in  Ohio 
(1772). 

Minqo^Bottom.— Called  also  Minrjo  Village,  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
Ohio  River,  seventy-five  miles  below  Pittsburg. 

MiNNisiNKS. — Flats  above  the  Delaware  Water-Gap,  on  both  shores. 


710 


GEOGRAPHICAL   GLOSSARY. 


MoNOCASY. — A  creek  of  Northampton  County,  Pennsylvania,  emptying 

into  the  Lehigh  Eiver,  at  Bethlehem. 
Mo^sEY-A^gBRBON.— A  Delaware  Indian  town  on  the  White  Kiver, 

Indiana,  in  1800. 
MuscoNETCONQ  HiLLS. — Bounding  the  valley  through  which  the  Mus- 

conetcong  River  flows,  in  Warren  and  Morris  Counties,  New  Jersey. 

Nain.— A  Christian  IndiuTi  town  in  Hanover  Township,  Lehigh  County, 
Pennsylvania,  on  the  "  Geisingcr  Farm." 

Nazareth. — Formerly  an  exclusive  Moravian  town,  now  a  borough  of 
Northampton  County,  Pennsylvania,  seven  miles  northwest  of 
Easton.     The  cxclusivj;  system  was  abrogated  in  1850. 

Neskapeke. — Nescopec,  Luzerne  County,  Pennsylvania. 

New  Fairfieid. — A  Moravian  Indian  Mission  in  thq  Township  of 
Oxford,  Canada  West.     This  Mission  still  exists. 

New  Gnadenhutten. — A  Christian  Indian  town  on  the  south  side  of 
the  Clinton  River,  between  Mt.  Clemens  and  Frederick,  in  Clinton 
Township,  Macomb  County,  Michigan. 

New  Paltz. — An  early  settlement  in  Ulster  County,  New  York. 

New  Philawelphia. — The  capital  of  Tuscarawas  County,  Ohio. 

New  Salem. —  A  Christian  Indian  town  on  the  Huron  River,  in  Erie 
County,  Ohio,  near  or  on  the  site  of  Milan. 

NewSchonbrxtnn. — A  Christian  Indian  town  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
Tuscarawas  River,  one  and  a  quarter  miles  south  of  New  Philadel- 
phia, on  the  farm  of  John  Gray,  in  Goshen  Township,  Tuscarawas 
County,  Ohio. 

New_Sjrijiq  Place. — A  Moravian  Mission  station  among  the  CljecQ.- 
kees,  in  the  Cherokfse  country.     This  Mission  still  ejisjg. 

New  Westfield. — A  Moravian  Mission  station  on  the  Little  Osage, 
in  Kansas. 


Oley. — Formerly  a  Moravian  church  in  Berks  County,  Pennsylvania. 
Old  Chillicothe. — Pickaway  Township,  on  the  Scioto,  in  Pickaway 

County,  Ohio. 
ONEyoK.— F.'cnch  Creek,  or  Venango  River,  in  Pennsylvania,  flowing 

into  thi,  Alleghany  at  Franklin,  in  Venrngo  County. 
Onondaga. — The  capital  of  the  Iroquois  Confederacy,  a  few  miles  south- 

east  of  Lake  Gnor    ^ga,  on  Onondaga  Creek,  in  Onondaga  County, 

New  York. 
08TCNWACKEN. — An  li.  Han  town,,  thia.,acat_of  Madame  Montour,  on 

the  site  of  Montou'sville,  on  the  West  Branch  of  the  Susquehanna, 

in  Lycouiing  County,  Pennsylvania. 


GEOGRAPHICAL  GLOSSARY. 


ni 


OwDACHpE.— An  I^uois  town  of  the  Caju^a  country,  on  Lake  Cayuga, 

New  York. 
OwEGO. — An  old  Iroquois  villaefe  in  Tioga  County,  New  York. 
Owl  Crekk.  —  The  Vernon   River,  flowing  through  Knox  County, 

Ohio,  and  entering  the  Walhonding  in  Coshocton  County.     See 

Ookhoaing. 


Pachgatqoch. — An  Indian  town  and  Mission  station,  two  miles  south- 
west of  Kent,  in  Connecticut. 

Parraderuski. — A  British  town  on  the  Missi'^sippi,  fifteen  miles  above 
Kaskaskia,  which  see. 

Pknn's  Creek. — A  creek  ia  the  central  part  of  Pennsylvania,  flowing 
into  the  Susquehanna  a  few  miles  below  Suubury. 

Pettquotting  Creek. — The  Huron  River  of  Ohio,  flowing  through 
Huron  and  Erie  Counties  into  Lake  Erie,  at  Huron  village. 

PrcHTTWAY. — A  Shawanese  towil  at  the  heads  of  the  Scioto,  in  Ohio, 
in  1772. 

PiLQERRUH. — "  Pilgrims'  Rest."  A  Chri^tianJiKlj^ujjUuiiyi  on  the  east 
t)ank  of  the  CuyahogaT  River,  in  Independence  Township,  Cuya- 
hoga County,  Ohio. 

Pipe's  ^owN. — An  Indian_ village Jn  Q^uo.  about  ten  miles  from  Cap- 
tives' Town,  which  see. 

Pickaway. — Now  Pickaway  Township,  on  the  Scioto,  at  the  southern 
end  of  Pickaway  County,  Ohio. 

PlugqyIs  Town.— The  seat  of  a. jnon|;relJbag^^X  JLiuJijaps,  in  1777,  on 
the  hcaa- waters  of  the  Scioto,  in  Ohio. 

Point  Huron. — Now  Point  Clinton,  a  promontory  in  Lake  St.  Clair, 
Michigan. 

PoTATiK. — An  Indian  village  and  Mission  station  three  miles  northeast 
of  lfe\vton,  in  TTonnecticut. 

PuRYSBTTRQ. — An  early  German  settlement  in  Beaufort  County,  South 
Carolina,  twenty  miles  from  Savannah,  between  Savannah  and  Port 
Royal  Harbor. 

Q,. 

QuKKELiNiNK.---An  j^a^yiaff  e  fi)r  finnsylyaj^^^^^ 

lEb. 

Reamstown. — An  early  settlement  in  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania. 
'-s/RETRENcnE. — ^Thfl-Bivcr  Tnames,  in  Canada,  flowing  into  Lake  St. 

Clair. 
Red  Sto^'TE  Creek. — A  creek  of  Fayette  County,  Pennsylvania,  falling 

into   ho  Monongahcla  River  near  Brownsville. 
Rochester. — An  early  settlement  in  Ulster  County,  New  York. 


iiil 


m 


712 


GEOGRAPHICAL  GLOSSARY. 


Rocky  Point. — A  promontory  now  known  (is  Scott's  Point,  or  Ottawa 

City,  in  Ottawa  County,  Ohio. 
RouGK  River. — A  river  of  Michigan,  rising  in  Oakland  and  Washtenaw 

Counties,  and  flowing  into  the  Detroit  River,  five  miles  from  the 

City  of  Detroit. 
Rose,  The A  tavern  belonging  to  the  Moravians,  built  in  1752,  one 

mile  north  of  Nazareth,  Pennsylvania. 

s. 

Sace  Schwamm. — New  Holland,  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania. 

Saratoga. — An  old  tract  of  land  on  the  Hudson  River,  in  New  York, 
now  a  county  of  this  name. 

SAjfNio. — An  Iroquois  town  of  _,thc  Cayuga  coimtry,  on  Lake  Cayuga, 
New  York. 

Sakunk. — An  old  abandoned  Indian  town  (1770),  at  the  confluence  of 
the  Beaver  River  with  the  Ohio,  in  Beaver  County,  Pennsylvania. 

Salem. — Formerly  an  exclusive  Moravian  town,  now  a  borough,  in 
Forsyth  County,  North  Carolinn.  The  exclusive  system  was  abro- 
gated in  1856. 

Salem. — A  Christian  Indian  town  on  the  western  bank  of  the  Tus- 
carawas River,  one  anoa  half  miles  southwest  of  Port  Washington, 
on  the  farm  of  Henry  Stocker,  in  Salom  Township,  Tuscarawas 
County,  Ohio. 

Sabah-Towit. — A  Delaware  yillap:e  on  thjLSSikite  Jliver,  in  Indiana, 


in  1800. 
Schenectady. — An  old  settlement  in  New  York,  now  the  capital  of 

Schenectady  County. 
SCHAGHTICOKE. — A  township  of  Rensselaer  County,  New  York. 
SCHONBBTJNN.—  ]VeMik-Ticp^eek  ^Beautiful ^Spring,).     A  Christian  I.n- 

^ityi  ^pwn  two  miles  southeast  of  New  Philadelphia,  on  the  east 

bank  of  the  Tuscarawas,  in  Goshen  Township,  Tuscarawas  County, 

Ohio,  on  the  farm  of  Rev.  E.  P.  Jacobs. 
ScHECflacHiQUANPj.TK  — A  ^00362   town   and   Mission  station  on  the 

west  bank  oitne  Susquehanna,  opposite  but  a  little  below  Shese- 

quin,  in  Bradford  County,  Pennsylvania. 
Schoharie  Creek. — A  creek  of  New  York,  flowing  into  the  Mohawk, 

in  Montgoinery  County. 
Schoeneck. — A  Moravian  village    near   Nazareth,  in  Northampton 

County,  Pennsylvania. 
Sqanatees.— An  Iroquois  town  of  the  Tuscarora  country,  in  Now  York. 
Shamokin. — An  Indian  town  on  the  site  of  Sunbury,  in  Northumber- 

land  County,  Pennsylvania. 
Shefomeko. — A  Christian    Indian  town,  in    Pine  Plains,  Dutchess 
"CountyV  New  York,  on  the  farm  of  Edward  Hunting,  twenty  miles 

southeast  of  Rhinebeck. 


GEOGRAPHICAL  GLOSSARY. 


718 


\  11; 


SiCHEM. — Formerly  a  Moravian  Homo  Mission  station,  in  the  so-called 
"  Oblong,"  bordering  on  New  York  and  Connecticut.  The  Mission 
House  was  on  the  farm  of  Douglass  Clark,  in  Dutchess  County,  New 
York,  quite  near  to  the  Connecticut  line. 

Skippac. — An  early  settlement  in  Skippack  Township,  Montgomery 
County,  Pennsylvania. 

Skehantowanno. — Plains  in  the  valley  ofWyoming,  Pennsylvania. 

Skogabi. — A  village  of  Tutelees  in  Columbia  County,  PfeiiasslYania. 
^^l^j^asT^jmlj;  village  of  thia'txioo  remaining  in.JJJL8. 

Sop  us. — See  Esopus. 

St.  PniLiPPS. — A  British  town  on  the  Mississippi,  nine  miles  above 
Parraderuski. 

Stockertown. — A  village  of  Northampton  County,  Pennsylvania,  a 
few  miles  from  Nazareth. 

Stony  Point. — A  promontory  of  Monroe  County,  Michigan,  in  Lake 
Erie. 

Sxinton's  Farm. — Or  Stinton^a  Tavern,  where  Captain  Wetterhold's 
party  was  attacked  by  the  Indians,  in  the  Pontiac  War,  one  mile 
and  a  quarter  northwest  of  Howertown,  in  East  Allen  Township, 
Northampton  County,  Pennsylvania.'  It  is  now  Simon  Laubach's 
place. 

T. 

Taqochsanaqechti. — The  name  of  the  lower  village  of  Onondaga, 
which  see. 

Tappan. — Orange  Town,  in  Orange  County,  New  York. 

Tawandaemenk. — A  Monsey  village,  ten  miles  from  Tioga,  in  Brad- 
ford County,  Pennsylvania. 

TAPEPSKUMT^'g  Town.— The  yi|lagc.of;,iCfli'^"^yf'^i.';]y,,,'',,Klnft-°f  % 
Delawares,"  a  little  below  Wilkesbarre,  in  the  Wyoming  valley, 
Pennsylvania. 

Tgaaju. — An  Iroq^uois  Yillagc  of  the  Cayuga  country,  in  New  York. 

Thubnstein,  TiiE. — The  name  given  by  Conrad  Weisser  to  the  Second, 
Third,  and  Peter's  Mountains  of  Pennsylvania,  in  honor  of  Count 
Zinzcndorf. 

'''^"glif.^yi!^"'^'^  —ATI  Trff^Uft'"  ^^F"  "^  tl^tt  TnsyaroT^a  cnuntrv.  in  New 
York. 

TiADAOHTON. — Also  Called  DiadagMon,  the  Pine  Creek,  rising  in  the 
northern  part  of  Pennsylvania,  and  entering  the  West  Branch  of 
the  Susquehanna,  near  Jersey  Shore. 

TiOQA. — Also  called  Tioga  Point,  on  the  North  Branch  of  the  Susque- 
hanna, in  Bradford  County,  Pennsylvania. 

TroNESTA  Creek.— A  creek  of  Pennsylvania,  rising  in  the  northwestern 
part  of  the  State  and  j9owing  into  the  Alleghany  River,  in  Venango 
County. 


■itii 


4l 


714 


GEOGRAPHICAL  GLOSSARY. 


Tir.TiqyossoNoocnTO. — An  Iroquois  town  of  the  Seneca  country,  in 
Alleghany  County,  New  York. 

ToBYHANNA  Crekk. — A  Crcok  of  Monroe  County,  Pennsylvania,  flow- 
ing into  the  Lehigh  River. 

TowAMENSixo. — The  wilderness  north  of  the  Blue  Mountains,  in  Mon- 
roe County,  Pennsylvania. 

Trapp,  The. — An  early  settlement  in  Upper  Providence  Township, 
Montgomery  County,  Pennsylvania. 

TuLPEHOCKEN. — A  township  of  Berks  County,  Pennsylvania. 

TuscAUAWAs. — An  old,  abandoned  Indian  towg,  on  the  west  bank  of 
flic^uscarawas  River,  opposite  the  crossing-place  of  the  trail  from 
Pittsburg,  on  the  line  of  Stark  and  Tuscarawas  Counties,  Ohio. 

Tuscarawas  River — A  river  of  Ohio,  rising  in  the  northeastern  part 
of  the  State,  flowing  through  the  Tuscarawas  valley,  and  uniting 
with  the  Walhonding,  at  Coshocton,  to  form  the  Muskingum. 

TJ. 

Upland. — Old   Chester,   the  seat  of  justice  of  the  original  Chester 

County,  Pennsylvania. 
Upper  Sandusky. — The  Huron  Half  King's  town,  now  the  capital  of 

Wyandot  County,  Ohio. 
U^P:gi^,SANDUSKY  Old  Town.;— A  Wyandot  village,  twelve  miles  below 

Upper  Sandusky,  on  the  Sandusky  River. 

"V. 

Vernon  River. — See  Owl  Creek. 

■w. 

Wampballqijank. — A  Delaware  Indian  town  in  Luzerne  County, 

Pennsylvania,  on  the  Susquehanna. 
"WAK;y.TAMi.-.KT.— A  Shnwnnoijo  town,  near  Dresden,  on  the  Muskingum 

River,  just  below  the  mouth  of  Waketameki  Creek,  in  Jeflerson 

Township,  Muskingum  County,  Ohio. 
Walhondino  River. — A  river  of  Ohio,  called  also  the  Mohican  and 

\Vhitc  Woman  Ri^er,  uniting  with  the  Tuscarawas,  at  Coshocton,  to 

form  the  Muskingum. 
»"Warte,  Die. — "The  Watch-Tower."     A  temporary  Indian   Mission 

station  (1791, 1792)  at  the  mouth  of  the  Detroit  River,  "fl  *j)lg^tl/\w1/'' 

side,  at  or  near  Amhorstburg. 
Wechquetank.— A  Christian  Indian  town,  in  Polk  Township,  Mon- 

roe  County,  Pennsylvania,  between  the  Wechquetank  and  Head's 

Creeks. 
Wkchpakak. — A.  Delaware  Indian  town  on  the  Tunkhannock,  in  Brad- 
ford County,  Pennsylvania. 


GEOGRAPHICAL  GLOSSARY. 


715 


WECnQUADJfACH.^An  Indian  villngcjind  Missipjri  station  on  Indian 
Pond,  on  the  boundary  of  Dutchess  County,  New  York,  and  Con- 
necticut. 

Wklhik-Tuppeek. — Sec  Schdnhrunn. 

Wklaoamika. — An  Indian  name  for  Nazareth,  which  see, 

Wbstchkstbr. — An  early  settlement  in  Westchester  County,  New  York. 

"Westenhuc. — An  Indiao  yillagp  aiy\  Mission  station  in  Massachusetts, 
on  the  site  of  Housa tonic. 

Whetak.— An  Indian  village  and  Mission  station,  near  Salisbury,  Con- 
necticut. "' 

White  River. — A  river  of  Indiana,  falling  into  the  Wabash,  nearly 
opposite  Mount  Carmel,  Illinois. 

White  Eyes'  Town. — An  Indian  village  in  Ohio,  the  seat  of  White 
Eyes,  near  White  Eyes'  Plains,  Oxford  Township,  Coshocton  County. 

Wheeling  Creek. — A  creek  rising  in  Pennsylvania,  and  falling  into 
the  Ohio  Eiver,  at  Wheeling,  Virginia. 

William's  Fort. — An  Indian  villago  and  British  post  in  the  Mohawk 
country.  New  York,  between  Freehold  and  Canajoharie. 

WiLAWANE. — A  Monsey_Indian  Jown  in  Bradford  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, near  the  junction  of  the  Chemung  and  the  Susquehanna. 

Williamsburg. — In  Colonial  times  the  seat  of  government  of  Virginia, 
now  thc'capital  of  James  City  County. 

Wommelsdorf. — A  town  on  the  Lebanon  Valley  Railroad,  in  Berks 

'       County,  Pennsylvania. 

WoAFiKANNiKUNK. — A  Dejft.ware  Indian  town  on  the  White  River, 
Indiana,  in  1800. 

Wood  Creek. — A  Creek  of  Oneida  County,  New  York,  emptying  into 
the  east  end  of  Oneida  Lake. 

Wrigetsville. — A  town  on  the  Susquehanna,  in  Pennsylvania,  op- 
posite Columbia. 

Wyalusing  Creek. — A  creek  of  Pennsylvania  flowing  into  the  North 
Branch  of  the  Susquehanna  River,  in  Bradford  County. 


u 


Youo.iiOGHENT  River. — A  river  rising  in  Virginia,  flowing  through 
Maryland  into  Pennsylvania,  and  entering  the  Monongahela  eigh- 
teen miles  southeast  of  Pittsburg. 

z. 

Zbniinge. — An  Iroquois  to^g  of  the  Tuscarora  country,  in  New  York. 

ZiNOCHSAA. — The  Onondaga  Creek  of  New  York. 

ZoNNESsoHio. — The  capital  of  the  Seneca  country  in  New  York,  probably 

near  or  on  the  site  of  Genesco,  the  capital  of  Livingston  County,  New 

York. 


Ml 


A, 


A 
A 

A 
■jA 

y/l 
A 
A 


A 

A 


INDEX. 


V 


A. 

"^Abenakis,  an  Indian  tribe,  3G ;  Je- 
suit Mission  among  tlioni,  101. 

Abraham,  first  Moravian  Indian 
convert,  107;  entices  some  con- 
verts from  Gnadenhiitten,  213, 
214;  at  the  treaty  of  Easton  in 
1757,  249  ;  death,  260. 

Abraham,  the  Mohican,  a  convert, 
548 1  his  confession  at  the  mas- 
sacre at  Gnadenhiitten,  ib.;  the 
first  victim,  549. 

Abi'aham,  the  steward  of  the  Mis- 
sion. 629 ;  helps  to  begin  Mission 
at  Gcschgoschiink,  338 ;  confesses 
his  sins  after  the  Gnadenhiitten 
massacre,  559;  leads  the  Chris- 
tian Indians  to  Pipe's  Town,  560 ; 
death  and  character,  629. 

Adcnn,  a  convert,  leads  American 
militia  to  Salem,  544. 

Adam,  a  convert,  one  of  the  first  to 
rejoin  the  Mission  after  the  mas- 
sacre, 563. 

Adoption    compulsory  among    In- 
dians, 620,  621. 
•^Algonquins,  an  Indian  race,  31 ;  its 

wide  diffusion,  36. 
"^Alligewi    or  Allegans,  an    Indian 
tribe,  33. 

Allen,  Fort,  on  the  site  of  Gnaden- 
huttcn,  239. 

Allemwi,  Mons-y  chief  at  Gosch- 
goschunk,  332;  negotiates  with 
Delaware  chiefs  about  the  Mis- 
sion, 348 ;  his  baptism,  359 ;  for- 
sakes the  Mission,  406. 

Amochk.     See  King  Beaver. 

Andaates,  an  Indian  tribe,  38. 


Anownro,  or  Turtle  family,  among 
the  Iroquois,  78. 

Andrews,  William,  a  missionary 
among  the  Indians,  104. 

Anuntschi,  Nathaniel  Scidel's  In- 
dian name,  190. 

A^idcrs,  Gottlieb  and  Joanna,  killed 
in  the  massacre  on  the  Mahony, 
229,  233,  236. 

Anthony,  a  native  assistant,  267  and 
note  2 ;  accompanies  Zeisberger  to 
Machiwihilusing,  267;  to  Gosch- 
goschiink,  324 ;  settles  at  Gosch- 
goschiink,  338 ;  preaches  the  Gos- 
pel to  Glikkikan,  355,  356  ;  ac- 
companies Zeisberger  to  Gekele- 
mukpechiink,  366 ;  his  death,  389. 

Anthony,  one  of  the  scattered  con- 
verts after  the  massacre,  593  ;  his 
suspicions  with  regard  to  the  mis- 
sionaries, 594. 

Antho7iy's  Wilderness,  65,  note  3. 

Ancrum,  Major,  commandant  of  De- 
troit, 588 ;  advises  Zeisberger  to 
leave  New  Gnadenhiitten,  ib.; 
buys  the  improvements  of  the 
Mission,  589. 

Anderson,  Captain,  commands  a 
sloop  on  Lake  Erie,  590. 

Apty,  Thomas,  has  charge  of  the 
Christian  Indians  in  the  Paxton 
Insurrection,  284,  294,  295,  296, 
305,  309. 

Aquanoschioni,  a  name  for  the  Iro-  ' 
quois,  32.     Sec  Iroquois. 

Armstrong,  General,  attacks  the  In- 
dians on  the  Alleghany,  246. 

Arundle,  a  trader  at  Lower  San- 
dusky, 536;  entertain!)  the  mis- 
sionaries, i&.;  burial  service  at  his 

(111) 


fi 


I/' 


718 


INDEX. 


house  in  memory  of  the  Indians 
massacred  at  Gnadenhiitten,  558. 

Askin.  John,  ii  merchant  of  Detroit, 
589;  buys  the  improven\ents  of 
the  Mission  at  New  Gnaden- 
hiitten, ib.;  ofl'ers  to  convey  tlie 
converts  in  sloops  across  Lalce 
Erie,  690,  591. 
■    "'Attiwandaruns,  an  Indian  tribe,  38. 

Aupaumut,  Hendrick,  a  Stoclibridge 
Indian,  660. 

B. 

Barclmj,  Henry,  a  missionary 
among  the  Indians,  104. 

Barnard,  Governor,  at  the  treaty  of 
Easton,  in  1758,  251. 

Bawbee,  Mr.,  a  British  Indian 
agent,  524. 

Beautiful  Spring,  the,  in  Ohio,  .371  ; 
its  prehistoric  remains,  371,  372; 
site  of  a  Mission  town,  372 ;  de- 
scription of  the  neighborhood, 
376,376. 

Belts  of  ivamptim  of  Chinsiian  In- 
dians, 426. 

Beersheba,  second  Moravian  church 
in  Ohio,  663  and  note  1. 

Bethubara,  first    Moravian    settle- 
ment in  North  Carolina,  252. 
''^Bear  family,  among  the  Iroquois, 
78. 

Bethlehem  founded,  24 ;  the  Econ- 
omy, 24,  note  1 ;  threatened  with 
destruction,  228;  receives  the 
news  of  the  Gnadenhiitten  mas- 
sacre, 233,  234;  a  refuge  in  the 
French  and  India-n  War,  239, 
240 ;  events  at,  during  the  wur, 
244,  245,  247,  248,  251 ;  during 
the  Pontiac  War,  278,  285 ;  re- 
ceives the  news  of  the  captivity 
ofthe  missionaries,  512;  the  news 
of  the  massacre  of  the  Christian 
Indians,  672,  573. 

Bezold,  Oottlieb.  a  Moravian  clergy- 
man, biography,  184,  note  2 ; 
visits  Wyoming  with  Zeisbergor, 
184. 

Blaci:  Swamp,  520  and  note  1. 

Blickensderfer,  Matthias,  Hecke- 
welder's  companion  on  a  survey- 
ing expedition,  608. 


Zinzcndorf,   110; 
Zuisberger  durini 


Bom.     See  Oegeshamind. 

Boehler,  Peter,  Moravian  bishop, 
biography,  22,  note  1 ;  in  South 
Carolina,  22;  at  the  Whitefield 
House,  23  ;  visits  Shnniokin  with 
consults  with 
his  imj)rison- 
ment  in  New  York,  124,  125; 
SpaiigonbiTg's  temporary  suc- 
cessor, 212 ;  assistant  of  Bishop 
Seidel,  256 ;  writes  to  Governor 
Penn  on  behalf  of  the  Christian 
Indians,  280;  farewell  discourse 
to  the  Christian  Indians,  286. 

Bollinger,  Henry,  drives  first  teams 
to  the  Tuscarawas  reservation, 
657,  note  1. 

Boone,  Daniel,  explores  Kentucky, 
375. 

Bouquet,  Colonel,  defeats  the  Indians 
in  the  Pontiac  War,  275;  con- 
quers the  Delaware  country,  306. 

British  Barracks,  in  Philadelphia, 
287. 

Brodhead,  Colonel  Daniel,  assumes 
commandof  Pittsburg,  471;  cam- 
paign against  the  Iroquois  in 
1780,  476;  introduces  Zeisberger 
to  President  Reed,  481 ;  cam- 
paign against  the  Delawares,  482 ; 
offers  to  convey  the  Christian  In- 
dians to  Pittsburg,  483. 

Brant,  Joseph,  Iroquois  chief,  biog-  " 
raphy,  627,«o<e  1;  originates  the 
Western  confederation,  596 ;  his 
speech  in  favor  of  the  Christian 
Indians,  627  ;  conversation  with 
Zeisberger  about  the  Indian  War, 
633;  makes  the  Delawares  men, 
641,  642. 

Bradstreet,  Colonel,  expedition 
against  the  Indians,  306. 

Brebeuf,  a  Jesuit  missionary,  100 ; 
his  martyrdom,  101. 

Bj'ainerd,    David,    a     missionary^ 
among  the  Indians,  105 ;  his  de- 
scription of  Shamokin,  71,  no{e  2. 

Braddock,  General,  defeated  by  the 
French  and  Indians,  222. 

Butler,  General  Richard,  Superin- 
tendent of  Indian  Affairs,  597; 
his  testimony  concerning  the  im- 
portance of  the  Indian  Mission 
during  the  Revolution.  444,  wde 


INDEX. 


719 


2;  commissioner  at  Indian  treaty, 
584,  685  ;  corrospondenco  with 
Zeisborger  about  the  return  of  tlie 
Mission  to  tho  Tuscarawas,  597, 
598;  killed  in  battle,  628. 

Bush,  Jacob,  one  of  tho  first  settlers 
on  tho   Tuscarawas  reservation, 
657,  note  1. 
"s^Buckshanoath,  a    Shawaneau— war.- 

rior,  224. 
\/ Burial- places,  among  tho  Indians, 
90. 

B'dttner,  Goitlob,  a  Moravian  mis- 
sionarj',  106;  biography,  106, 
note  1 ;  missionary  atShekomeko, 
t07;  death,  122;  grave,  122, 
note  1. 

Byhan,  Gottlieb,  a,  Moravian  mis- 
sionary among  the  Cherokees, 
663, 


"^^ancello,  Louis,  the  forerunner  of 
the  Jesuit  missionaries,  100. 

Cannibalism  among  the  Indians,  44, 
199. 

Canaan,  a  Moravian  mission  sta- 
tion among  tho  Cherokees,  697. 

Cataicbas,  an  Indan  tribe,  31. 
"^ayugas,  an  Iroquois  tribe,  38,  57. 

Cayuga  Town, '  tho  capital  of  the 
Cayugas,  162. 

Cabot,  John,  voyages  of  discovery, 
39. 

Cabot,  Sebastian,  voyages  of  discov- 
ery, 39. 

Cartier,  Jacques,  voyages  of  discov- 
ery, 40. 

Camping-places  of  Moravian  mis- 
sionaries, 132. 

Cammerhoff",  Frederick,  a  Moravian 
bishop,  biography,  143,  7iote  2; 
character,  143,  144;  visits  the 
Indian  country  with  Watteville, 
147-150;  visits  Onondaga  with 
Zeisberger,  156-175;  cited  before 
Governor  Hamilton,  178;  death, 
182. 

Carver,  Jonathan,  explores  the 
Northwest,  375. 

Caas,  Lewis,  appointed  commis- 
sioner of  the  United  States  to 
treat  about  the  Tuscarawas  res- 
ervation, 695. 


Crtgnnwnijns^  iiii  Tndiiiii  ^rilin,  ■''i8'\'^ 

Captives'  Town,  the  Moravian  Mis- 
sion town  built  after  the  breaking 
upof  tho  Tuscarawas  Alission,  516 
and  note  1,  517;  tlu'  assembly  uf 
converts  there  by  night,  529;  a 
chapel  erected,  520;  the  town 
forsaken  by  tho  converts,  560. 

Carpenter,  John,  cii])tured  by  the 
Indians,  539;  warns  the  Chris- 
tian Indians  against  tho  Ameri- 
can militia,  640. 

CharlcstowH ,  an  early  settlement  in 
the  West,  040,  65.'). 

Cherokees,  i\n  Indian  tribe,  30;  first 
Moravian  convert,  304;  Mora- 
vian Mission  among  them  in 
Georgia,  603;  mission  broken  up, 
696;  renewed  in  the  West,  697; 
given  up  again  in  .Southern  re- 
bellion, ib.;  renewed  since  the 
war,  ib. 

Chickasas,  an  Iiulian  tribe,  31. 

Choctas,  an  Indian  tribe,  31. 

Chippewas,  an  Indian  tribe,  36,  73;'/' 
refuse  to  engage  in  a  raid  upon 
the  Mission,  480;  granttheChris- 
tian  Indians  lancl,  562 ;  notify 
them  to  leave  the  land,  584 ;  their 
begging-dance,  619,  620;  man- 
ner of  burying,  620;  canoes,  t6.; 
habits,  582;  villages  in  Canada, 
632;  a  Moravian  Mission  among 
them,  660;  the  Mission  given 
up,  665. 

Champlain,  Samuel,  42. 

Christian,  a  convert  killed  at  Gna- 
denhutten,  converses  on  religion 
with  the  militia,  544. 

Christiana,  a  convert,  appeals  to 
Colonel  Williamson  for  mercy, 
at  tho  massacre,  549. 

Children  of  the  Indians,  85,  80. 

Chilloway,  Job  or  Willia77i,  a  native 
assistant,  flees  to  Province  Island, 
289;  baptized  at  Friedonshutten, 
629;  accompanies  Zeisberger  to 
tke  Shawaneso.  389;  aecompa-  "^ 
nies  the  missionaries  to  the  court- 
martial  at  Detroit,  518 ;  leads  tho 
converts  to  Pipe's  Town  after  the 
massacre,  500;  his  death,  629. 

Chew,  Benjamin,  a  Philadelphia 
councilman,  299. 


720 


INDEX. 


r^Chillieoihe,  e__txihc--^if-thfi.-Sliawo-  ' 

jicsc.  374.  ! 

Church-bell,  the  first,  used  in  Ohio,  ' 

377.  "  1 

"^Claiifi,  iimoiii?  tli(!  Iroquois,  "7,  78. 

Clewcll,  Chrislinn,  asHisttuit  iit  tho 
surves'  of  ihc.  Tuseamwas  hind, 
640,  G47,  note  2. 

Clymcr,  Coltotel  George,  United 
States  coniniisisioiicr  at  tho  treaty 
of  Pittr^buru:  in  1775,  429. 

Clark,  George  Rogers,  tal<('s  tin; 
Britisli  posts  nn  tho  Mississippi, 
46G ;  captures  (lovcrnor  Hamil- 
ton, 472 ;  United  States  com- 
missioner at  an  Indian  treaty, 
586. 

Comenbis,  John  Autos,  a  bishop  of 
tho  Unitas  Fratrum,  009. 
'^Conestoga  Indians,  69 ;  massacred, 
290. 

Conesioga  Manor,  290. 

Convention  at  Pliiladelpbia  in  1787, 
605. 

Congress  of  commissioners  at  Al- 
bany in  1754,  210. 

Congress,  Continental,  exorcises  the 
functions  of  a  government,  428; 
organizes  Indian  departments, 
ib.;  takes  into  its  hands  theadmin- 
istration  of  Indian  aflairs,  584 ; 
its  views  witli  regard  to  the  In- 
dians, 585,  580 ;  grants  land  to 
the  Christian  Indians,  587  and 
note  1 ;  its  ordinance  for  tho  gov- 
ernment of  the  Northwest  Ter- 
ritory, 005,  006;  sells  land,  606; 
vest'  its  grant  to  the  Christian 
Indians  in  tho  Moravians  of 
Pennsylvania,  606. 

Congress  of  the  United  States  opens, 
,      610 ;  reaffirms  ordinance  for  the 
Northwest  Territory,  ib. 

Congress  Belt,  the,  430. 

Connecticut  settlers  in  Wyohoing, 
268 ;  visited  by  Zeisberger,  269 ; 
massacred  in  the  Pontiac  War, 
280. 

Conner,  John,  a  white  member  of 
the  Indian  Mission,  425,  426; 
ransoms  his  son  from  tho  Shawa- 
nese,  431 ;  rejoins  tho  Mission 
after  the  massacre,  562;  remains 
at  New  Gnadenhiitten  after  the 


exodus  of  the  converts,  589;  his 
subsequent  iiistory,  ib. 

Conner,  John,  son  of  the  preceding, 
interpreter  of  tho  Delaware 
chiefs  who  visit  President  Jef- 
ferson, 000,  note  1. 

Connolly,  John,  agent  of  Lord  Dun- 
more,  400. 

Cooking,  among  the  Delawaros  and'' 
Iroquois,  84,  85. 

Couk,  Lieut.-Coloncl  Edward,  de- 
nounces the  Gnadenhiitten  mas- 
sacre, 570. 

Coon,  Abraham,  takes  part  ;u  the 
expedition  against  the  Tuscara- 
was towns,  491,  note  1,  500, 

Cosmogony,  Indian,  217-219. 

Coldcn,  Governor,  of  New  York, 
refuses  to  receive  the  Christian 
Indians,  295;  his  reasons,  t6.;  his 
second  refusal,  oOo. 

Colver,  two  brothers,  help  to  build 
Goslien,  054. 

Cornplnnter,  a  Soncca.  oilers  to  me-  ^ 
diatc  f(jr  the  United  States  with 
tho  hostile  tribes,  026. 

Cornell,  Francis,  a  Canadian  settler 
at  whoso  house  the  missionaries 
preach,  044. 

qi^vnsinlU^     .^l)nwnnA^f»     ..VilAf,     COm-  "^ 

mands  at  tho  battle  of  Point 
Pleasant,  408;  advocates  peace 
with  the  Colonies  in  tho  Eevolu- 
tion,  447;  adopts  Schmick  and 
his  wife,  ib.,  note  2;  murdered, 
452,  453. 

Cornelius,  a  convert,  leads  the 
Christian  Indians  to  Pipe's  Town 
after  tho  massacre,  560. 

Crawford' a  expedition  against  the 
Christian  Indians,  564-572  ;  Dod- 
dridge's account  of  it,  564,  565. 

Craioford,  Colonel,  elected  com- 
mander, 565;  encamps  at  New 
Schonbrunn,  ib.;  finds  Captives' 
Town  deserted,  ib.;  defeated  by 
the  savages,  566  ;  taken  prisoner, 
ib.;  his  conversation  with  Win- 
cenund,  567-571 ;  tortured,  567, 
.'j71  ;  character,  572. 

Crown,  The,  a  tavern  near  Bethle- 
hem, 278  and  note  2. 

Croghan,  George,  deputy  of  Sir  W. 
Johnson,  246;   at  the  treaty  of 


INDEX. 


721 


Easton  in  1758,  2ol ;  trios  to  pro- 
vent  Dunmoro's  War,  403. 

Creaop,  Captain,  niurdora  Indians  in 
Dunmoro's  War,  402. 

Creeks,  iiii  Indian  tribo,  81. 

Cunow,Jo/in  Oebhnrd^a,  member  of 
the  Mission  Board,  GC2;  visits 
Goshen,  666. 

D. 

Dnblon,  C7aM6?c,  a  Jesuit  missionarv, 
102. 

Daniel,  a  Jesuit  missionary,  100. 
"^Dances,  amonc;  the  Indians,  90,  91, 
198,  199,  328. 

Da/icotns,  iin  Indian  tribe,  31. 

David,  Christian,  a  Moravian  elder, 
14,  note  2;  099. 

Dalzell,  Captain,  reinforces  Detroit, 
275. 

Denny,  Governor,  at  the  treaty  of 
Easton,  in  1758,  251. 

Detroit,  its  population  in  1771,  375; 
British  contor  of  influence  in  the 
Revolution,  445;  the  Moravian 
missionaries  on  trial  there,  520- 
529 ;  rendezvous  fot  the  Christian 
Indians,  502;  its  condition  and 
morals,  662,  5G3  ;  terrible  winter 
at,  in  1783,  583 ;  testimony  of  its 
inhabitants  to  the  character  of 
the  converts,  590,  531 ;  the  town 
in  1798,  653. 

Denke,  Christian,  n  Moravian  mis- 
sionary at  Fairfield,  660;  begins 
a  Mission  among  theChippewas, 
660;  abandons  it,  665;  gathers 
the  ."cattei  .d  converts  in  the  war 
1      of  1812,  695. 

\Delawares,  an  Indian  tribe,  32; 
identical  with  the  Lenni-Lennpe, 
32,wo<el ;  early  traditions,  32-35; 
divisions,  35;  their  three  tribes, 
ib.;  tradition  of  the  coming  of 
white  men,  42 ;  made  women  by 
the  Iroquois,  45,  46  ;  their  nation 
about  1745,  70-72 ;  their  hunting- 
grounds  on  the  Susquehanna, 71 ; 
their  government,  79,  80  ;  bap- 
tism of  first  Moravian  converts, 
131 ;  refuse  to  bo  considered  wo- 
men, 245  and  note  1,  347;  invite 
the  Christian   Indians  to  settle 


anuing  thorn,  370;  thoirhunting- 
grounds  in  Ohio,  372-374  ;  begin 
a  moral  reform,  385;  neutral  in 
Dunmoro's  War,  403,  400;  de- 
nounce the  Mi.ssi()n  t  j  the  Sliawa- 
nosc,  411 ;  their  real  object  in  in- 
viting the  converts,  412;  their 
griuid  coimcil  decrees  religious 
liberty, 422;  remain  neutnil  in  the 
Revolution, 441,  442;  inipurtiinco 
of  their  neutrality  to  the  United 
States,  443,  444,  and  notes  1  and  2 ; 
names  of  their  headmen,  in  1777, 
446;  decide  anew  for  j)e»ce,  447, 
448,  453,  407  ;  changi!  in  their 
policy,  the  iniijority  going  over  to 
the  Britiish  Indians,  479;  take 
part  in  the  expedition  against  the 
3Iission,  489;  their  boundaries 
after  the  Revolution,  585;  a  part 
of  them  emigrate  to  the  Missis- 
sippi, 613;  their  miserable  con- 
dition after  the  Indian  War,  641 ; 
made  men  by  the  Iroquois,  641, 
642  ;  beg  Gelelemend  to  be  their 
chief,  642;  settle  on  the  White 
River,  Indiana,  659 ;  ask  for 
Christian  teachers,  ib.;  send  a 
deputiitionto  President  Joft'erson, 
600;  I  \(  esses  and  murders  among 
them,  605. 

Dickinson, ./«/ ;;,  n  lawyer  in  Phila- 
delphia, 284  and  note  1 ;  employed 
to  defend  a  Christian  Indian 
charged  with  murder,  284. 

Doctors,  Indian,  210,  211. 

Doddridge,  Joseph,  his  account  of 
the  massacre  at  Gnadenhiitten, 
554-557. 

Dreuillettes,  Gabriel,  a  Jesuit  mis- 
sionary, 101. 

Dress,  of  the  Dclawares  and  Iro- 
quois, 84,  85,  90. 

Duncan  and  Wilson,  merchants  of 
Pittsburg,  593  ;  bring  Zeisborger 
a  message  from  General  Butler, 
598. 

Dutch,  the,  on  the  Hudson  River, 
42. 

Dntimore's  War.  See  Wa  -,  Dun- 
more^s. 

Dunmore,  Lord,  Governor  of  Vir- 
ginia, 399  ;  his  usurpations,  400; 
quarrels  with    the    Council    of 


-1 


46 


722 


INDEX. 


Ponnsylvnnift,  ih.;  commniidstho 
nortliorn  forces  in  tho  war,  407; 
mnrchos  to  the  Scioto,  408 ;  opi-ns 
nofjotintionswitii  tlio  Indiuns",  ib.; 
eoncludcs  pciico,  400;  promises 
to  help  Wiiito  Eyes  to  visit  Eng- 
lHncl,418;  his  motives  in  promis- 
ing this,  427. 

E. 

Edsfon,  a  borough  in  Pennsylvania, 
05,  nnie'l ;  Jerscymen  congregate 
there,  'J'J8;  Indian  treaties,  245, 
210  ;  the  treaty  of  1757,  249  ;  tlie 
Indian  congress  of  1758,  250,  251 ; 
the  second  Indian  Congress  of 
1701,  253. 

Eaater  Morning,  at  Schonbrunn, 
395-398. 

Ec/ipalnwehimd,  a  convert,  384; 
bajitizod,  393  ;  at  the  grand  coun- 
cil of  the  Delawares  after  Dun- 
more's  War,  416. 

Edmonds,  Peter,  one  of  tho  first  set- 
tlers on  the  Tuscarawas  reserva- 
tion, 657,  note  1. 

Edwards,  William,  a  Moravian  mis- 
sionary, biography,  447,  note  1 ; 
joins  the  Mission,  447;  Zeis- 
berger's  sole  companion  among 
the  Indians,  454;  atGnadenhiit- 
ten,  450;  at  Lichtenau,  400  ;  re- 
turns to  Gnadenhutten,  473;  in 
danger  of  his  life,  484;  his  expe- 
riences during  tho  British  expe- 
dition against  tho  Mission,  498, 
500,  509;  tried  at  Detroit,  518; 
brings  tho  news  of  peace  to  New 
Gnadenhutten,  680 ;  visits  Pitts- 
burg to  inquire  about  tho  Indian 
treaties,  586,  587 ;  sails  across 
Lake  Erie,  591,  592;  his  labors 
at  New  Salem,  004;  negotiates 
with  Canadian  authorities  for  a 
refuge  for  the  convertsduring  the 
Indian  War,  016,617,619;  leads 
the  converts  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Detroit,  023 ;  leads  a  colony  from 
Canada  to  the  Tuscarawas  reser- 
vation, 648 ;  his  death,  058,  0-59. 

Ekuschmce,  head  chief  of  tho  Chip- 
pewas,  610;  visits  New  Salem,  t6. 

EUinipsico,  son  of  Cornstalk,  mur- 
dered, 458. 


Elliot,  John,  a  misslonarv  among*^ 
the  Indians,  103,  104,  077. 

Elliot,  John,  a  (Quaker  peace  com- 
missioni'r  in  1793,  034. 

Elliot,  Matthew,  a  British  captain, 
402;  incites  tho  Delawaresagainst 
the  United  States,  ih.;  his  ani- 
mosity against  the  ^lission,  489; 
real  command(!r  of  the  Briti.-hex- 
pedition  against  the  ]VIission,491 ; 
incites  the  Huron  Half  Kinir  to 
seize  the  missionaries,  495,  490  ; 
leaves  tho  exi>edition,  515;  dis- 
tributes rewards  among  tho  In- 
dians, 619. 

Ephratn,  tho  seat  of  tho  Seventh- 
Day  Baptists,  00. 

Erier ,    n  Indian  tribe,  38. 

Ench  aahund,  Imae,  a  convert,  ac- 
comj)anie3  tho  missionaries  to 
Det^oi^,  618. 

Espich,  Rev.  Mr.,  Lutheran  clergy- 
man and  physician,  attends  Zeis- 
berger  in  his  last  illness,  670. 

Ettwein,  John,  a  Moravian  bishop 
and  member  of  the  Mission 
Board,  biography,  338,  7iote  2  ; 
has  a  marbld  slab  placed  over  the 
grave  of  tho  victims  in  the  mas- 
sacre on  tho  Mahony,  235,  note  1 ; 
escorts  Zeisberger's  colony  on  its 
waytoGoschgosehiink,  338;  leads 
tho  Christian  Indians  to  Ohio, 
370;  returns  to  Bethlehem,  380; 
active  in  the  Mission  Board 
during  tho  Revolution,  480; 
meets  a  German  who  helped  to 
kill  the  Christian  Indians  at  Gna- 
denhiitten,  673;  negotiates  with 
Congress  for  a  grant  of  land  for 
tho  Christian  Igflians,  682;  de- 
sires to  remove  the  Western 
Mission  to  Pennsylvania,  618  and 
note  1 ;  his  historic  statement 
about  tho  Tuscarawas  reserva- 
tion, 657,  note  1 ;  death,  661. 


Fubricius,  Oeorge,  kilU-d  in  th*"  mas- 
sacre on  the  Mahony,  229,  235. 

Fanaticism  in  the  M(travian 
Church,  143,  note  3. 

Fairfield,  a  Moravian  Mission  town,^ 


/ 


INDEX. 


723 


6^2;  its  sito,  611,632;  its  growth, 
6:5!)  ;  ii  gfiicrul  repontnnoo  among 
its  inliiibitiint",  lUo,  616;  its 
trade*  and  exports,  6.jO;  tho  ini- 
piovomonts  around  it,  652,65:!; 
dfvtroyed  by  Amorican  troopi^, 
694. 

Fea.ifs,  sncrificinl.      See  Sncrifiees. 

Fire,  a,  in  tlie  forest,  310. 

Floridinn  Ind'innn,  ill. 

Forks  of  the,  Dr/airare,  64. 
"vFo./v.v,  an  Indian  trii>o,  73. 

Fo.n.  Josfp/i,  a  commissioner  of  the 
Pcnn-ylvania  Assembly  in  tiio 
Pa.Yton  Insurrection,  284,  294, 
295. 

FortH,  Co/ow/nr/,  after  the  French  and 
Indian  War,  2o"-^59. 

Forestier,  Charles  dn,  a  member  of 
tlio  Directory  of  tlio  Unitas  Fra- 
tnim,  visits  Goshen,  666, 

Frirdens/iiiffcn  (the  Jirst),  a  Mo- 
ravian  Mission  town,  141  and 
noU  1. 

Friede'ishiitlen  (the  second),  a  Mo- 
ravian Mission  town,  laid  out, 
310;  revival  at,  311,  313;  en- 
larged, 316;  description  and  site 
of,  316,  317  and  note  1 ;  the  land 
on  wliicli  it  wasi  situated  sold  by 
tho  Iroquois  to  Pennsylvania, 
348,  370;  prosperity  of  tho  Mis- 
sion there,  369 ;  tho  town  aban- 
doned by  tho  converts,  376 ; 
number  of  its  inhabitants,  376, 
note  1. 

Friedensstadt,  a  Moravian  Mission 
town,  362;  awal<ening  at,  365 
360;  prosperity  of  tho  Mission 
there,  367;  abandoned,  386. 

FrisOie,  Levi,  visits  the  Delawares 
in  Ohio,  379. 

Franklin,  Governor,  of  New  Jersey, 
296. 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  at  Bethlehem 
and  Gnadenhiitten,  239;  in  Phil- 
adelphia during  the  Pa.vton  In- 
surrection, 283,  301,  302. 

Friedrich, Charles,  a  Moravian  mis- 
sionary, biography,  216,  note  2 ; 

^yyisita  <,)nnndHga  with  Zeisber^er, 
216-219. 

Frei/,  Henri/,  a  Moravian  mission- 
ary, biography,  206,  note  1 ;  visits 


Onondaga  with  Zoisberger,  206- 
212. 
France,   influence    of,  among    the' 
Indians,  73,  74;  usurpations  in 
America,  176,  177,  205,  208. 

o. 

G'fj,(7e,(?c»?orM', commander-in-chief, 
293;  reAnes  t<>  allow  tho  Chris- 
tian Indians  to  enter  New  York, 
295;  semis  them  an  escort,  207; 
second  refusal  to  permit  them  to 
enter  New  York,  305. 

Onl/owoy,  Joseph,  a  member  of  tho 
Peniisvlvania  Assemblv,  283  and 
no^pl,'^293. 

Oallichivio,  Bishop  Cammerhofl''8 
Indian  name,  163  and  note  1. 

Gantlet,  running  of,  152. 

Garrison,  Nicholas,  Jr.,  a  sc(Hit  in 
Paxton  Insurrection,  293. 

Garrison,  Nicholas,  biogra])hy,  25, 
note  1 ;  commands  the  "James," 
25. 

Gatterrneiier,  John,  killed  in  tho 
massacre  on  tho  Mahony,  229, 
236. 

Ganassateco,  Iroquois  sachem,  109, 
note  I;  at  Philadelphia,  153;  en- 
tertains Cammerhoff  and  Zois- 
bergor,  162. 

Ganousseracheri,  Zeisberger's  In- 
dian name,  134. 

Ganachrafjejat,  Mack's  Indian 
name,  193. 

Geqashamind,  a,  sorcerer,  baptized, 
604. 

Gendaskund,  a  convert,  359;  con- 
ciliates Packanko,  363;  baptized, 
366. 

Gckelemukpechiink,  capital  of  tho 
Delawares  in  Ohio,  366  and  7\ote 
1;  first  Protestant  sermon  in  Ohio 
preached  there,  367;  religious 
interest  begins  there,  384 ;  a 
moral  reformation  attempted, 
385 ;  council  at,  with  the  Chris- 
tian Indians,  386;  grand  coun- 
cil at,  after  Dunmore's  War,  413 
-417 ;  its  council-house,  413 ; 
abandoned  by  the  Delawares, 
426. 

Gcleleniend,  a  grandson  of  Ncta- 


I 


724 


INDEX. 


watwes,  biography,  694,  note  1 ; 
at  Liclitenau,  430;  the_headjit' 

^  ,tho  Delaware  nation,  470 ;  faith- 
ful 10  the  United  States,  flee^ 
fr(im  tho  Delaware  capital,  479  ; 
puts  himself  under  the  protec- 
tion of  the  United  States,  48;> ; 
his  baptism,  004 ;  refuses  to  be 
head  chief,  012;  invites  the  Del- 
awares  to  visit  Goshen,  OoO,  657; 
entreats  heathen  Indians  at  Go- 
shen to  abstain  from  stronij 
drink,  368;  his  death,  094. 

Giffei/mik,  liead-quarters  of  hostile 
indians  in  the  West,  615;  Zeis- 
berger's  defiance  sent  tliither, 
623,  624  ;  his  protest  in  its  coun- 
cil aguinst  any  interference  witli 
che  Mission,  026. 

Oirti/,  Simon,  his  character,  402, 
note  1 ;  incites  the  Dolawar.os 
^^.apainst  the~United"  States.  402. 
463;  tries  to  capture  Zeisbergor, 
474;  his  animosity  toward  the 
Mission,  489;  summons  the  mis- 
sionaries to  Detroit,  533,  534  ;  is 
present  at  Colonel  Crawford's 
torture,  671 ;  defeats  the  lien- 
tuckians,  577;  at  the  council  on 
the  Maumee,  033 ;  his  innucncc 
exerted  against  the  peace  com- 
mission, 036,  637. 
'^€Li&scheuaiai,  a  Shawanese  chief. 
denounces  tEe  white  race,  89l, 
392 ;  bitter  enemy  of  the  Gospel, 
393. 

Gibson,  James,  a  leader  of  the  Pax- 
ton  insurgents,  302,  303. 

Oihsnn,  Colonel  John,  Western 
Agent  of  Virginia,  430;  visits 
Solionbrunn,  430 ;  commands 
Fort  Laurens,  469. 

Ohisentj  roof,  traffic  in,  189. 

Gist,  Christopher,  explores  the 
Western  country,  183. 

Girdles,  Indian,  86. 

Gideon.     See  Tadcushmd, 

Gladwyn,  Mnjor.  at  Detroit,  in  the 
Pontiac  War,  275. 

Glikkikan,i\  distinguished  convert, 
355;  conies  to  the  Alleghany  to 
refute  Zeisberger,  356,  356 ;  de- 
clares his  belief  in  the  Gospel, 
357 ;    becomes  a  convert,    358 ; 


joins  tho  Mission,  362;  perse- 
cuted, 362,  363  ;  baptized,  366  ; 
accompanies  Zeisberger  to  the 
Delaware  capital  and  there 
preaches  the  Gospel,  366,  367, 
371,  386 ;  accompanies  Zeisber- 
ger on  his  visit  to  the  Shawanese, 
389;  appeals  to  White  Eyes  to 
become  a  Christian,  404;  at  the 
grand  council  after  Dunmore's 
War,  416,  417;  reproves  White 
Eyes,  433,  439;  his  speech  to  the 
Half  King  in  favor  of  the  mis- 
sionaries, 450;  seized  by  tho 
British  Indians  and  tried  by  the 
Half  King,  610,  611;  reproves 
the  Half  King,  531,  532;  killed 
in  the  massa(?re  at  Gnadenliiitten, 
661. 

JriKvJenthnl,  a  Moravian  settlement, 

65. 
■hiadenhiitten,  on  tho  Mahonj',  a 
Moravian  ^Mission  town,  141  and 
note  2;  its  prosperity,  182;  exo- 
dus of  a  part  of  its  inhabitants, 
214;  removed  to  a  new  site,  214; 
destroyed  by  the  French  Indians, 
239. 

'  hiadenhiitten,  in  Ohio,  a  Moravian 
Mission  town,  380,  381,  note  1; 
tirst  public  service  there,  383  ;  its 
prosperity,  383;  its  new  chapel, 
393;  its  municipal  system,  423, 
424 ;  revival  there,  432  ;  the  Brit- 
ish Indians  encamped  there,  490 ; 
massacre  at,  537-557  ;  its  appear- 
ance fifteen  years  after  the  mas- 
sacre, 047. 

'  hiadenhiitten,  tho  present  town  in 
Ohio,  654  and  note  1 ;  it  increases, 
657;  its  first  inhabitants,  657, 
note  1. 

Goshen,  a  Moravian  Mission  town, 
664  and  7iote  2 ;  a  colony  goes  out 
from  there  to  Indiana,  669;  its 
population,  601,  note  1 ;  a  mis- 
sionary conference  there,  602 ; 
overrun  by  a  gang  of  despera- 
does, 064  ;  its  converts  intoxi- 
cated, i6.;  frequented  by  Indians 
from  tho  Pettquotting,  068 ;  aban- 
doned, 696,  696. 

Ooschqoschimk,  an  Indian  villago 
on  the  Alleghany,  324,  326,  327, 


m 


INDEX. 


725 


329  ;  visited  bv  Zcisbergor,  329- 
336;  the  towii  in  1708,339;  a 
Mission  begun  there,  339-349 ; 
the  Mission  removed,  353 ;  wick- 
edness of  tlio  town,  354  ;  tv  niiui- 
bor  of  its  inhabitiints  join  tlio 
Mission  at  Friedensstadt,  302, 
805. 

Ooschnchgilnk,  the  second  capital 
of  the  Delawarcs  in  Ohio,  4'20, 
427  and  note  1 ;  destroyed  by 
Colonel  Brodhead,  483. 

Gokhosing,  a  stopping-place  of  the 
converts  on  their  journey  to  the 
Sandusky,  515  and  7iote  1. 

Godrey,  Captniti,  commands  a  sloop 
on  Lake  Erie,  590. 

Oourges  Dominic,  41. 

Good  Luck,  the  name  of  a  tract  of 
land  in  Pennsylvania,  granted  to 
the  Moravian  Missionary  Society, 
618,  note  1. 

Great  liriiain  struggles  with 
France  for  the  supremacy  in 
North  America,  176,  177;  tri- 
umphs over  Franco,  254,  255 ; 
introduces  a  foolish  policy  after 
her  victory,  321,  322;  a  cruel 
policy  in  the  Revolution  by  in- 
citing the  Indians  to  war,  428, 
429,  441 ;  interferes  in  the  wur 
between  tlie  United  States  and 
the  Western  Indians,  641 ;  re- 
linquishes the  Western  posts  to 
the  United  States,  643. 

Griibe,  Bernard  Adam,  a  Moravian 
missionary,  biography,  221,  note 
1 ;  visits  Wyoming,  221 ;  atGna- 
denhutten  on  the  Mahony  at 
the  time  of  the  massacre,  229 ; 
in  Pliiladelphia  during  the  Pon- 
tiac  War,  280;  accompanies  the 
Christian  Indians  on  their  way 
to  New  York,  294 ;  visits  the 
Ohio  Mission,  477,  478  and  7iote 
1 ;  officiates  at  the  marriage  of 
Heckuwelder,  477  ;  at  the  mar- 
riage of  Zeisberger,  482. 

Grant  of  land  to  Christian  Indians 
See  Society  of  the  U.  B.  for  Propa- 
gating the  Gospel. 

Greaor,  Christian,  a  Moravian 
bishop,  biographj'.  368,  note  1 ; 
visits  America,  368. 


Greathouse,  Daniel,  murders  In- 
dians in  Dunmore's  War,  402. 

Greer,  Paul,  one  of  the  first  settlers 
on  the  Tuscarawas  reservation, 
657,  iwte  1. 

H. 

llagen,  John,  a  Moravian  mis- 
sionary, 142  ;  his  death,  ih. 

Hagen,  John  .Joachim,  a  Moravian 
missionary,  663. 

Hajingonis,  Joseph  Schebosh's  Iro- 
quois name,  1.34. 

Hahotschaimquas,  Cammerhofl''s 
and  Zeisberger's  guide  to  Onon- 
daga, 157, 159,  101, 162, 164, 173, 
174. 

Hard  Man,  the.     See  Gieschenatsi. 

Hamilton,  Governor  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, interview  with  Ciiinuicr- 
hofl',  178;  espouses  the  cause  of 
the  Christian  Indians,  283,  284, 
285.  301. 

Hamilton,  Governor  of  Detroit, 
forged  letter  from  him  sent  to 
Zeisberger,  460-462  ;  incites  the 
Indians  against  the  United 
States,  467  ;  organizes  an  expedi- 
tion* against  the  Mission,  470, 
471 ;  taken  prisoner  by  the  Amer- 
icans, 472. 

Harris  family,  the,  a  member  of 
dies  among  (he  Christian  In- 
dians, 613, 7tote  1. 

Hachsiiagechie,  Zeisberger's  Indian 
brother,  322;  dies  at  Bethlehem, 
323;  message  concerning  his 
death,  323,  324.  "  y 

Haaastaak,  a.  Seneca  sachem.  342 ;  /"^ 
Zeisberger    negotiates   with    his 
council,  347,  348 

Harmar,  Lieut. -Colonel  Joseph,  his 
speech  to  the  Christian  Indians, 
697,  598  and  note  1 ;  disastrous 
campaign  ugainst  the  Indians, 
616  and  note  1. 

Hardin,  Colonel,  murdered  by  the 
Indians,  032. 

Hartshorne,  William,  a  Quaker 
peace  commissioner  in  1793,  034. 

Haklnkpomsgu,  Ca[)tain  Pipe's  suc- 
cessor, 050. 

llnlf   King  of   the    Wyamlots^'i^t/' 


''V 


!i 


726 


INDEX. 


visits  Lichtenau,  454,  455;  pro-  I 
tects  Zeisbergcr,  456 ;  detbats 
American  militia  and  attacks 
Fort  Henry,  457 ;  commands 
British  expedition  against  the 
Mission,  489;  anrwunces  his 
coming,  490;  interview  with 
Hockewelder,  491 ;  his  speecii  to 
tlie  Christian  Indians,  493,  494  ; 
hesitates  to  lay  hands  on  the  mis- 
sionaries, 494-498;  hislastspeech, 
503,  504;  deserts  the  Christian 
Indians  in  a  wilderness,  516 ; 
proclaimshimself'theirchief,  517; 
reproved  by  Glikkikan,  531,  532; 
forces  the  converts  to  leave  Cap- 
tives' Tow  ,  500 ;  demands  the 
removal  ot  the  missionaries,  661 ; 
forbids  the  converts  to  settle  on 
the  Black  Kiver,  600,  601 ;  his 
death,  611. 

Hand,  General,  commandant  at 
Pittsburg,  457  ;  sends  peace  nies- 
sagoc  to  the  Delawares  by  Hecke- 
welder,  403-465. 

Harrison,  General  William  Henry, 
destroys  Fairfield,  694. 

Haymaker,  Jacob,  sends  the  news 
of  the  capture  of  the  missionaries 
to  the  States,  611. 

Hay,  Vice-Governor  John,  com- 
mandant at  Detroit,  583. 

Haven,  John  lien,  n  Moravian  mis- 
sionary, 660;  ordained  at  Go- 
shen. 662;  begins  a  Mission  on 
the  Pettquotting,  663. 

Heckewelder,  Joanna  Maria,  born 
at  Salem,  507;  biography,  507, 
note  1 ;  taken  to  Detroit,  635  and 
note  1. 
"^Heckeweliicr,  John,  a  Moravian  mis- 
sionary, biography,  256,  note  2 ; 
his  father,  20 ;  with  Post  in  Ohio, 
256 ;  bearer  of  a  message  from 
Post  to  Zeisbergcr,  261 ;  Zeisbor- 
ger's  assistant  at  Friedenshiitteu, 
312;  in  Ohio,  370;  at  Schon- 
hrunn,  380,  447  ;  returns  to  Beth- 
lehem, 452 ;  goes  to  Pittsburg, 
463 ;  carries  peace-messages  to 
the  Delawares.  404,  465;  visits 
Zeisbergcr  at  Lichtenau,  465; 
takes  charge  of  the  Lichtenau 
Mission,  466,  473;  founds  Salem, 


477 ;  married  in  its  chapel,  477, 
478;  in  danger  of  his  life,  484; 
his  experiences  during  the  British 
expedition  against  the  Mission, 
491,  492,  498,  504,  50(),  609;  goes 
to  Detroit  to  be  tried,  518 ;  at 
Detroit  again,  563 ;  at  New  Gna- 
denhiitten,  579;  on  the  way  to 
the  Cuyahoga,  591,  592;  leaves 
the  Mission,  696;  visits  the  Mis- 
sion, 699;  Agent  of  the  Soeloty 
for  Propagating  the  Gospel,  608 ; 
unsuccessful  attempts  to  survey 
the  Tuscarawas  reservation,  608, 
611 ;  assistant  peace  coinmis- 
si(jner  of  the  United  States,  ()32, 
633,  634  ;  surveys  the  reservation, 
646-648:  at  Fairfield,  648  ;  leads 
a  colony  to  the  reservation.  i6.  ; 
his  house  at  Gnadenhiitten,  654 
and  note  1 ;  his  memorial  to  Gov- 
ernor St.  Clair  about  the  sale  of 
ardent  spirits  on  the  reservation, 
650 ;  visits  Zeisbergcr  on  his 
death-bed,  673 ;  his  sketch  of  Zeis- 
berger's  character,  681,  682. 

Henry,  Captain,  chief  of  the  Mo- 
hawks, 636,  637, 7iote  1. 

Henry,  a  convert,  leads  militia  to 
Salem,  544. 

Henry,  Mr.,  a  trader  among  tho 
Shawanese,  374,  note  2. 

Henry,  Judge  William,  a  member 
of  Congress,  357 ;  Gelelemend 
named  after  him,  604;  helps  to 
survey  the  Tucarawas  reserva- 
tion, 046-648. 

Hehl,  Matthew,  a  Moravian  bishop, 
member  of  tho  Mission  Board, 
185  and  note  1 ;  sends  an  express 
to  Bethlehem  about  the  Cones- 
toga  massacre,  292. 

Hcndrirk,  the  King  of  the  Mo- 
hawks, 122  and  note  2. 

Herrnhut,  15. 

Herbert,  Michael,  takes  part  in  the 
British  expedition  against  tho 
Mission,  491. 

Hcckedorn,     John,     forwards    the 
news  of  the  capture  of  the  mis- 
sionaries    to     Bethleliom,     611, 
512. 
^Honseaof  the  Iroquois,  83  and  note  1. 

Houses  of  the  Delawares,  83,  84. 


:!■: 


INDEX. 


727 


Horion,     Azariah,    a,    missionaty 
among  the  Indians,  105. 
^^^odenosaunee,  a  ntiinc  for  the  Iro- 
quois, 32,  note  2. 

Hospitaliiy,  the  name  of  a  tract  of 
land  in  Pennsylvania  grunted  to 
the  Society  for  Propagating  the 
Gospel,  618,  note  1. 

Horsficld,  Timothy,  biography,  220, 
note  2;  takes  Zeisberger'a  depo- 
sition, 220;  his  dispatches  eon- 
corning  the  massacre  on  the  Ma- 
hony,  ^230,  237,  238;  his  rules 
for  the  Christian  Indians  in  the 
Pontine  War,  276;  negotiates 
witli  the  government  in  the  Pax- 
ton  Insurrection,  292. 

Huebner,  Lewis,  a  Moravian  cler- 
gyman, biography,  658,  note  2; 
pastor  of  the  white  settlers  on  the 
Tuscarawas  reservation,  658 ; 
leaves  the  reservation,  663. 

Huebner,  John  Andrew,  a  Moravian 
bishop,  biography,  480,  note  2 ; 
a  member  of  the  Mission  Board, 
480,  582;  a  member  o  the  Di- 
rectory in  Europe,  661,  002. 

Huss,  John,  16,  698. 

Uutehins,  Thomas,  ('■(H)grapher  of 
the  United  States,  587,  008. 

Huudsecker,  Lt.,  escort    Christian 
Indians,  309. 
'-'Huron- Iroquxtis,  a,  race  o.   Indians, 

31. 
"^Hurons,    the    same    as  \\  .andots, 

which  see. 
^Hunting ,  among  the  Delawares  and 
Iroquois,  80,  81 ;  laws  of  hunt- 
ing, 81,  82;  wholesale  slaughter 


of  deer,  350. 


I. 


Idol,  of  the  Delawares,  96. 

Illinois,  a  tribe  of  Indians,  80,  73. 

Indians,  general  remarks.  28;  gen- 
eric stocks,  30  ;  description  of,  in 
primitive  times,  43  ;  curly  moral 
character,  44;  cunnibalism,  44; 
population  in  early  times,  47;  the 
tribes  of  Pennsylvania  in  1745, 
69-72;  the  nHtii)ns  of  the  West,  i 
72-74  ;  general  government,  75,  | 
70 ;  their  manner  of  life  at  home  i 


in  Colonial  times,  80-91 ;  their 
moral  chanictcr  in  the  same  pe- 
riod, 91-03;  fal.-e  notions  con- 
cerning tht.r  eai'y  religion,  93, 
94;  later  superstition,  91-90; 
oratory  90  ;  lamentations  for  the 
dead  and  funerals,  190,  197  ;  in- 
heritances, 197 ;  sickness,  209, 
210;  doctors,  210,  211;  cosmog- 
ony, 217-219;  tribes  and  hunt- 
ing-groun  Is  after  the  French  and 
Indian  i.'ar,  2.)7 ;  dis^atisHed 
with  the  occuiHition  of  Western 
lorts  by  the  English,  200,  201, 
202;  faithful  to  tb-ir  treaties 
after  the  I\>ntiac  War,  400,  401 ; 
hated  by  the  whites  in  the  West 
during  the  llevolution,  538,  539; 
no  reservations  for  them  after 
the  lievolution,  58-» ;  boundaries 
of  the  Western  tribes,  585;  dis- 
satisfied with  the  policy  of  the 
United  States,  580 ;  form  a  con- 
federation in  the  West  and  send  a 
message  to  Congress,  590,  597; 
their  condition  and  number  after 
the  treaty  of  1789,  009;  hostile 
'  monstrations,  614;  hold  a 
grand  council  on  the  Muumee  in 
1792,  633;  break  off  negotiations 
with  the  United  States,  637;  to- 
tally defeated  by  Wayne,  640; 
great  sufferings  among  them, 
042,  643. 
Indians,  the  Christian,  quartered 
at  Bethlehem  and  Gnadenthal, 
239,  240;  their  industry  and 
trade,  240 ;  claim  the  protection 
of  the  Governor  of  Pennsylvania, 
276 ;  their  jiersonal  appearance, 
270,277;  fulse  accusations  against 
them,  279  ;  proofs  that  they  took 
no  part  in  the  Pontiac  War,  279; 
note  1 ;  disarmed  and  removed 
to  Philadelphni,  285-289;  quar- 
tered on  Province  Island,  289; 
flee  lo  League  Island,  2;tl ;  set 
out  for  New  York,  294;  at  Tren- 
ton and  Princeton,  295;  at  Am- 
boy,  290  ;  r.lurn  to  Philadelphia, 
297;  no  murderers  found  among 
them,  M'i,  notel;  sickness  among 
them,  305;  leave  IMiiladelphia, 
300;  theirjourney  from  Nam  to 


728 


INDEX. 


Machiwihilusing,  309,  310;  their 
happincs?,  311 ;  negotiate  witii 
the  Iroquois  sachem  at  Cayuga 
Town,  315,  316 ;  send  a  speech 
and  belt  of  wampum  to  tlie  Di- 
rectory in  Europe,  316;  receive 
a  mei-Hagc  from  Governor  Penn, 
337 ;  their  views  with  regard  to 
tribute,  364,  365;  invited  by  the 
Delaware  chiefs  to  settle  in  Ohio, 
370;  journey  to  the  Beaver  liiver, 
376,  377 ;  receive  a  grant  from 
the  Assembly  of  Pennsylvania, 
376,  note  2;  their  statutes,  378, 
379 ;  instances  of  their  joy  in 
believing,  384;  the  tribes  from 
which  they  are  gathered,  394 ; 
try  to  prevent  Dunmore's  War, 
403  ;  ask  that  all  the  missiona- 
ries may  be  adopted  among  the 
Delawores,  405;  secure  religious 
liberty,  422 ;  their  growing  pros- 
perity, 423  ;  settlements  on  the 
Tuscarawas,  423,  424 ;  Colonel 
Morgan's  testimony  concerning 
theni,  424,  note  1;  their  belts  of 
wampum,  426 ;  conspiracy  among 
some  of  them  to  overthrow  the 
Mission,  449-452;  the  faith  and 
zeal  of  the  rest  during  the  Revo- 
lution, 459 ;  all  concentrated  at 
Lichtenau,  466 ;  divided  again 
into  three  congregations,  472, 
473 ;  the  apostates  return,  459, 
478  ;  their  experiences  during  the 
British  expedition  against  the 
Mission,  493-512;  leave  the  Tus- 
carawas as  prisoners,  513  ;  their 
losses,  lb.;  journey  to  the  San- 
dusky, 614-517;  erect  a  chapel 
at  Captives'  Town,  529;  their 
sufferings,  530,  531 ;  regarded 
with  suspicion  both  by  the  Amer- 
icans and  the  British,  537,  538  ; 
at  Captives'  Town  after  the  mas- 
sacre, 558  ;  their  feelings  in  view 
of  the  massacre,  559,560;  settle  at 
New  Gnadenhiitten,  578,  579 ; 
their  life  at  New  Gnadenhiitten, 
581,  582;  receive  a  grant  of  land 
from  Congress,  587  and  not'j  1 ; 
leave  New  Gnadenhiitten,  589; 
journey  to  the  Cuyahoga,  591, 
592 ;  settle  at  Pilgernih,  592, 593 ; 


leave  Pilgerruh,  599 ;  settle  at 
New  Salem,  602  ;  accept  the  pro- 
tection of  the  peace  confedera- 
tion, 611 ;  disturbed  by  the  In- 
dian War,  615,  616  ;  leave  New 
Salem,  621 ;  settle  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Detroit,  624 ;  ,settle__in^ 
Canada,  631,  632  ;  spiriTuaTstat^ 
at  FaTrlield.  645.  646  ;  cxTkIuTot 
a  part  ot  them  to  the  Tuscarawas, 
651 ;  exodus  of  u  part  from  the 
Tuscarawas  to  Indiana,  659 ;  of  a 
part  from  Fairfield  to  the  Pett- 
quotting,  663  ;  great  decline  of 
spiritual  life  among  them,  664, 
665 ;  the  Goshen  Indians  at  Zeis- 
berger's  death-bed,  672-674;  ex- 
odus of  a  part  from  N5W_j]ai.r- 1/ 
ticld  to  the  West,  696. 

Iwlians,  the  Ckristian,  masnacred  at 
Onadenhutten,  go  from  Captives' 
Town  to  the  Tuscarawas,  532, 
533 ;  w^arned  by  warriors  and 
Carpenter,  540 ;  meet  with  the 
militia,  541,  542;  their  joy  that 
the  Americans  will  care  forthem, 
543;  murderers  and  victims 
sleeping  together,  544 ;  the  con- 
verts seized  by  the  militia,  545 ; 
rebut  the  charges  against  them, 
545,  546;  their  innocence,  546 
and  note  1 ;  condemned  to  death, 
547 ;  their  faith  and  joy,  548 ; 
they  are  murdered,  548,  549; 
names  of  the  victims,  551,  552; 
their  bright  testimony  as  Chris- 
tians, 553;  their  remains  found 
and  buried,  647  and  note  1. 

Indians,  the  Christian,  scattered 
ajter  the  massacre,  leave  Cap- 
tives' Town,  560 ;  hesitate  to  re- 
join the  Mission,  679 ;  forty-three 
come  to  New  Gnadenhiitten,  583; 
they  receive  a  message  from  Zeis- 
berger,  588 ;  a  written  speech 
inviting  them  to  a  conference, 
593,  594  ;  their  reception  of  these 
overtures,  595 ;  emigrate  to  the 
Mississippi  and  disappear,  613. 

Indaochaie,  the  name  of  Lichtenau 
after  the  exodus  of  the  converts, 
483,  note  1. 

Irene,  the  Morayign,  uussjoft^ry 
ship,  179  and  noieT,\m,  181, 


INDEX. 


729 


Trvine,  General,  commander  at 
Pittsburg,  631 ;  liberates  the 
Christian  Indians  tal^en  by  Wil- 
liamson, 531 ;  receives  a  dispatch 
from  the  Executive  Council  of 
Pennsylvania,  674,  575;  his  Ict- 

_.   ter  to  Bishop  Soidel,  575. 

^Iroquois,  synonyms  for  them,  32, 
natm2\  early  traditions,  36,  37; 
organization  of  their  league,  87  ; 
their  supremacy,  38,  39 ;  account 
of  them  in  1745,  54-57 ;  descrip- 
tion of  their  country,  57 ;  tlic 
trails,  57,  68;  population,  58; 
government,  76,  77 ;  clans  or 
families,  77,  78 ;  the  Iroquois  a 
conglomeration  of  other  nation- 
alities, 78,  79;  their  monuments, 
161 ;  their  feud  with  the  Cataw- 
bas  settled,  183 ;  preparations  for 
the  war-path,  198,  199;  missions 
among  them,  319,  note  1 ;  cede 
land  to  Pennsylvania  in  1773, 
401 ;  relations  to  the  United 
States  in  the  Itevolution,  441, 
443,  444;  their  country  devas- 
tated by  the  Americans,  476 ; 
give  the  Christian  Indians  to 
heathen  tribes  to  make  broth  of, 
489;  their  boundaries  after  the 
Revolution,  585;  their  condition 
after  the  treaty  of  1789,  609  ;  ad- 
vise the  Western  nations  to  con- 
clude peace  with  the  United 
States,  633  ;  make  the  Delawares 
men,  641,  642. 

Iroquois  Grand  Council,  76,  77  ;  re- 
ceives Cammerhoft"  and  Zeisbcr- 
ger,  162,  163 ;  negotiates  with 
Cammerhoff  and  Zeisberger,  173, 
174 ;  negotiate*  with  Zeisberger, 
Mack,  and  Kundt,  190-194; 
negotiates  with  Zeisberger  and 
Senseman,  318,  319. 

Israel.     See  Johnny,  Captain. 

J. 

Jacob,  a  convert,  brings  news  of  the 
massacre  to  Zeisberger,  536. 

Jacob,  a  lad,  escapes  from  th-e  ma.s- 
sacre,  650,  551. 

Jacob,  son-in-law  of  Schebosh,  falls 
to  give  the  alarm  to  the  converts 


when  the  militia  attack  Gnadcn- 
hutten,  542. 

Jamestown  founded,  42. 

Jacheabus,  leader  of  the  war-party 
that  committed  the  massacre  on 
the  JIahony,  238. 

Jablonsky,  Daniel  Ernst,  a  bishop 
of  the  Unitas  Fratrum,  099. 

Jesuit  Relations,  29,  note  1. 

Jesuit  Missions,  100,  103. 

Jeremiah.     See  Mamasu. 

Jefferson,  Thomas,  reports  the  emi- 
gration (if  the  Christian  Indians 
to  Canada,  629;  receives  visits 
from  Indian  chiefs,  660. 

Job,  one  of  the  ilrst  Moravian  In- 
dian converts,  08,  99 ;  baptized, 
107 ;  eloquent  preacher  of  the 
Gospel,  116. 

John.     See  Job. 

John,  grandson  of  Netawatwcs,  the 
first  convert  at  Lichtenuu,  436, 
442. 

Johanan,  Count  Zinzendorf's  In- 
dian name,  190. 

Johnson,  Sir  William,  biography, 
55,  7iote  2;  his  seat,  55;  visits 
Onondaga,  211,  212;  his  efforts 
in  the  French  and  Indian  War, 
224 ;  renewed  efforts  to  bring 
about  peace,  243  ;  conciliates  tho 
Indians  after  the  war,  262;  his 
views  regarding  the  Christian  In- 
dians in  the  Paxton  Insurrection, 
300;  is  willing  to  receive  them, 
305;  mollifies  the  anger  of  the 
Six  Nations,  337 ;  tries  to  pre- 
vent Dunmore's  War,  403  ;  his 
death,  429. 

Johnson,  Sir  John,  General  Super-' 
intendent  of  Indian  Affairs  in 
Canada,  579  ;  his  interview  with 
Zeisberger,  579 ;  instructions 
from  the  British  government  in 
regard  to  the  Mission,  580 ;  in- 
stigates the  Indians  against  tho 
United  States,  614. 

Johnson,  Colonel  Ouy,  incites  the 
Indians  against  tho  United 
States,  429. 

Johnny,  Captain,  a  convert  at  Lich- 
tenau,  436  and  note  2 ;  produces 
belts  of  peace  previous  to  tho 
massacre,  543. 


)|!| 


11 


730 


INDEX. 


Jones,  David,  visits  the  Delawares, 
R86,  note  3. 

Joshua,  a  native  assistant,  founds 
Gnadenhiitten,  380,  381,  note  1 ; 
brings  the  news  of  the  massacre 
to  Zeisborger,  636 ;  murdered 
by  the  Delawares  of  the  White 
liiver,  605.    • 

Judith,  the  first  woman  murdered 
at  Gnadenhiitten,  549. 

Jung,  Michael,  a  Moravian  mis- 
sionary, biography,  478,  note  2; 
joins  the  Ohio  Mission,  478;  in 
danger  of  his  life,  484 ;  his  exp5 
rionces  during  the  British  expe- 
dition against  the  Mission,  408, 
506,  507,  515;  protects  the  wives 
of  the  missionaries  at  Captives' 
Town,  518;  goes  to  Bethlehem, 
686  ;  returns  to  ihe  Mission,  599, 
"602;  his  labors  at  New  Salem, 
604;  sails  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Detroit,  623  ;  preaches  to  white 
settlers  in  Canada,  644;  leaves 
the  Mission,  095. 

Jungmann,  John,  steward  on  the 
Tuscarawas  reservation,  657, 
note  1. 

Jungmann,  John  Oeorge,  a  Mora- 
vian missionary,  365;  biography, 
365,  note  1 ;  at  Friedensstadt,  372 ; 
at  Schonbrunn,  380  ;  brings  the 
news  of  Dunmore's  War  to 
Schonbrunn,  403,  447 ;  goes  to 
Bethlehem,  453,  454  ;  returns  to 
the  Mission,  485;  his  experiences 
during  the  British  expedition 
against  the  Mission,  498,  607, 
508,  509 ;  protects  the  wives  of 
the  missionaries  at  Captives' 
Town,  618 ;  retires  from  the 
Mission,  686 ;  his  death,  686. 
note  2. 

K. 

Kamp,  Mr.,  assistant  surveyor  on 
the  Tuscarawas  reservation,  646. 

Kash,  a  German  settler  in  the  Iro- 
quois   country,  188;    denounces 
missionary  work  among  the  In- 
dians. 209. 
'■'Krtskaski.ns,  a  tribe  of  Indians,  36. 

Kicfer,  Rev.  Mr.,  a  Moravian  mis- 


III    ^1 
e-  ^1 


sionary,  escapes  from  the  mas- 
sacre at  Penn'sCreek,  225,  wo<e2. 

Kichline,  Sheriff,  escorts  the  Chris- 
tian Indians,  309. 

KiUbuck,  John,  a  Delaware  opposed*'' 
to  the  Moravian  Mission,  380  and 
note  1,  428. 

KiUbuck,  John,  Jr.   See  Oclelemcnd. 

King  Newcomer.     See  Netnwatwes. 

King  Beaver,  chief  of  the  Turkey*^ 
tribe    of    the    Delawares,   349; 
place  of  his  death,  380. 

King  of  the  Delawares,  populiir  title*^ 
t)f  the  head  chief,  79. 

'iirkland,  Samuel,  a  missionary 
among  the  Iroquois,  319  lind  note 
1 ;  secures  the  neutrality  of  two 
nations  in  the  lie  volution,  443. 

Kiekapoos,  an  Indian  tribe,  73. 

Jris^gpoco^,  a  Sliawancse  tribe,  374, «<^ 

lilein,  Oeorge,  his  farm  the  site  of 
Litiz,  66,  67,  note  1 ;  deputy 
sheriff  in  the  Pontiac  War,  281." 

Kluge,  John  Peter,  a  Moravian 
missionary,  659  ;  biography,  659, 
note  1 ;  on  the  White  River,  In- 
diana, 659 ;  leaves  the  Mission, 
665. 

Kogieaehquanoheel.  See  Pipe,  Cap- 
tain. 

Kolaneka,  scat  of  Sir  W.  Johnson, 
^55. 

Konkaput,  John,  a  Stockbridge  In- 
dian educated  at  Nazareth  Hall, 
660,  note  2. 

Koquethagachton.    See  White  Eyes. 

Krogstrnp,  Rev.  Mr.,  reports  the 
massacre  at  Gnadenhiitten  to  the 
Mission  Board,  673. 

L. 

Lallemand,  a  Jesuit  missionary, 
100;  martyrdom,  101. 

Languntoutenunk.  See  Friedens- 
stadt. 

La  Salle,  a  Jesuit  missionary,  103. 

La  Trohe,  Ignatius,  the  Britisli  sec- 
retary of  the  Unitas  Fratrum, 
679  and  note  2 ;  sends  money  to 
the  missionaries,  579,  580. 

Lawunakhannek,  a  Moravian  Mis- 
sion town,  363 ;  first  baptisms 
there,  359 ;  abandoned,  ib. 


INDEX. 


731 


LeeroUy  Susan,  biography,  482,  note 
3 ;  manius  Zoisberger,  482. 

Lehibach,  Frederick,  brings  the 
news  of  tlio  massacre  to  Bethle- 
hem, 572,  573  ;  notifies  Congress 
of  the  massacre,  673. 

Lee,  Arthur,   United  States  com- 
missioner, 584. 
^^Lenni-Lenapc,  a  name  of  the  De'.a 
ware  Indians,  32. 

Le  Moyne,  a  Jesuit  missionary,  102. 

Lesly,  John  F.,  killed  in  the  mas- 
sacre on  the  Mahony,  229,  236. 

Leibert,  Joxep/i,  places  a  monument 
over  the  grave  of  the  mission- 
aries killed  on  the  Mahony,  235, 
note  1. 

Lewis,  Andrew  and  Thomas,  United 
2*rte3  commissioners,  407. 

Lewis,  Colonel,  commands  Southern 
forces  in  Dunmore's  War,  407, 
408,  409. 

Lichtenau,  a  Moravian  Mission 
town,  433,  435,  note  2;  founded, 
434,  435 ;  first  celebration  of  the 
Lord's  Supper  there,  438;  first 
baptism  there,  442 ;  all  the  Chris- 
tian Indians  concentrated  there, 
466 ;  forsaken  by  the  converts, 
477 ;  destroyed  by  Colonel  Brod- 
heud,  483. 

Lindley,  Jacob,  a  Quaker  peace 
commissioner,  634. 

Lincoln,  General,  a  United  States 
peace  commissioner,  634. 

Litiz,  a  Moravian  town,  66. 

Litiz,  barony  of,  698. 
"^("JWi  -Tnin^x^  i^n  Iroquois  sachem, 
son  of  Shikellimy,  150;  at  Sha- 
mokin  as  deputy  of  the  Grand 
Council,  153;  n  friend  of  the 
Colonies  in  the  French  and 
Indian  War,  224;  his  family 
murdered,  402;  his  revenge, 
402,  403;  his  celebrated  speech, 
409. 

Logan,  William,  a  member  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Council,  243 ;  his 
protest  against  the  Indian  war, 
ib.;  espouses  the  cause  of  the 
Christian  Indians  in  the  Paxton 
Insurrection,  283,  284,  285,  294, 
295. 

Loretz,  John,  a  member  of  the  Di- 


rectory in  Europe,  308,  note  2; 
visits  America,  868. 

Loskiel,  Oeorge  Henry,  a  Moravian 
bishop,  662 ;  biogra{)hy,  662,  note 
1 ;  his  history  of  the  Indian  Mis- 
sion reaches  Zeisbergor,  021,  022  ; 
Prosidoiit  of  the  Mission  Board, 
002;  vi.sits  Goshen,  ib.;  ordains 
Haven,  ib. 

Lower  Sand.usly,  the  missionaries 
stop  there,  535,  530,  and  note  1, 
561. 

Luckcnbach,  Abraham,  a  Jloravian 
missionary,  059  ;  biography,  059, 
note  2 ;  begins  a  Mission  on  the 
White  Itiver,  in  Indiana,  659; 
abandons  this  Mission,  605. 

Luke,  a  renegade  convert,  001. 

M. 

Mack,  Martin,  a  Moravian  mission, 
ary,  110  ;  biography,  110,  note  2 
visits  Wyoming  with  Zinzendorf 
110;  in  New  England,  117;  at 
Gnadenhiitten,  141 ;  at  Shanio- 
kin,  142;  explores  the  Susque- 
hanna, 144, 145;  visits  Shamokin 
and  Wyoming  with  Watteville, 
147-150;  accompanies  Zoisber- 
ger to  Onondaga,  188-195;  at 
Gnadenhiitten  on  the  Mahony  at 
the  time  of  the  massacre,  229. 

Machiugu,  a  sacrificial  feast,  352. 

Machiwihiluainp,  an  Indian  town, 
awakening  there,  205,  207 ;  visit- 
ed bj'  Zoisberger,  269 

Mahony  settlement,  the,  214. 

Ma(funische,  a  Moravian  settlement, 
65. 

Mamasu,  a  wicked  Indian,  597 ;  ap- 
plies for  baptism,  ib.;  baptized, 
604. 

Manteo,  first  convert  among  the 
North  American  Indians,  4l. 

Manitous,  94,  95. 

Marquette,  a  Jesuit  missionary,  102*^ 

Mark,    a    native    assistant,    600; 
leaves   Captives'  Town,  ib.;   op 
poses  the  resuscitation  of  the  Mis- 
sion at  New  Gnadenhiitten,  679; 
his  sudden  death,  583. 

Martin,  John,  a  native  assistant 
warns  the  missionaries  of  theii 


I 


732 


INDEX. 


danger  during  the  British  expe- 
dition, 498,  499 ;  at  the  massacre 
at  Onadenhiitten,  542,  543;  his 
conversation  with  Colonel  Wil- 
liamson, 543. 

Marshall,  Frederick  de,  biography, 
256,  note  3;  Bishop  Seidel's  as- 
sistant, 256 ;  in  Philudelphia  dur- 
ing the  Pontiac  War  uid  the  Pax- 
ton  Insurrection,  280,  281,  282, 
284,  287. 

Massacre  o(  the  missionuries  on  tlio 
Mahony,  229-230  ;  of  the  Chris- 
tian  Indiam  in  OhL/,  537-557; 
discrjpancies  in  the  account  of 
the  I'lassacre  in  Ohio,  549,  note  1. 

Marietta,  the  first  white  settlement 
in  Ohio,  607,  655. 

McDonald,  Colonel  Annus,  attacks 
the  Shawanese,  406. 
'^McClure,  David,  visits    Ihg    Dela- 
wares  in  Ohio,  379. 

McCormlck,  Alexander,  a  trader 
and  friend  of  the  Mi-sion,  473 ; 
warns  Zeisbcrger  of  his  danger 
during  the  Revolutinn,  ib.;  en- 
sign to  the  British  expedition, 
491 ;  warns  Heckewelilor  of  its 
object,  492;  sends  provisions  to 
the  Christian  Indians,  530. 

Mcintosh,  General,  conimiuids  the 
Western  department,  4(>7  ;  con- 
structs a  fort  at  Beaver,  468,  469 ; 
_^^makes  a  requisition  on  tlio  Dela- 
ware council  for  warriors,  469; 
builds  Ft.  Laurens,  469;  Jiiarches 
into  the  Delaware  country  at 
Zeisberger's request,  471 ;  relieves 
Ft.  Laurens,  ib. 

McKee,  Alexander,  a  British  In- 
dian agent  and  enemy  of  the 
Mission,  462,  489;  proposes  an 
expedition  against  the  Mission, 
489 ;  bargains  for  the  cattle  of 
the  Christian  Indians,  517  ;  as- 
sists the  Christian  Tmlinna  to 
'"V.  secure  land  in  Canada,  617,  0.30. 
"SfMequachake,  a  Shawanese  tribe,  374. 

Meniolagomekah,  a  Moravian  Mis- 
sion station,  107  and  note  3. 

Menomonies,  an  Indian  tribe,  73. 

Melendez  founds  St.  Augustine,  41. 

Metoxen,  John,  a  Stockbridge  In- 
dian educated  at  Bethlehem,  660. 


Miamis,  an  Indian  tribe,  36. 

AftMffoes.  emigrant  Iro9UoiSj.58 ;  en-  / 
gage  m  Dunmore  s  War,  402, 
405 ;  take  part  in  the  battle  of 
Point  Plea,sant,  407,  408 ;  a  fam- 
ily of  them,  Zeisberger's  relatives, 
join  the  Mission,  420;  side  with 
Great  Britain  in  the  Revolution, 
447 ;  besiege  Ft.  Laurens,  471 ; 
take  part  in  the  British  expedi- 
tion against  the  Mission,  489. 

Mingo  Bottom,  539,  and  note  2. 

Missionaries,  Moravian,  tiieir  hero- 
ism, 298;  their  Instructions,  308 ; 
their  influence  among  the  natives, 
312,  313  ;  hold  a  conference  at 
Friedensstadt,  377,  378  ;  jealousy 
among  them,  450  and  note  1, 451 ; 
their  position  with  regard  to  the 
Indian  Border  War,  487,  488, 
489;  resolve  to  remain  with  the 
converts  in  spite  of  every  dan- 
ger, 490,  492,  504 ;  their  capture 
andsuft'erings  at  the  hands  of  the 
British  Indians,  493-512  ;  refuse 
to  flee,  498 ;  their  trial  and  ac- 
quittal at  Detroit,  518-529 ;  re- 
manded to  Detroit,  533;  their 
farewell  to  the  converts,  535 ;  de- 
termine to  revive  the  Mission, 
661,  562;  receive  a  letter  from 
the  Directory  in  Europe,  687, 
note  1 ;  memorialize  the  Gov-^ 
ernor  of  the  N.  W.  Territoryi 
about  the  sale  of  ardent  spirits,) 
655,  656. 

Mission  Board,  the,  organized  at 
Bethlehem,  120 ;  enthusiastic 
meeting  of,  in  1747, 142  ;  gouneil 
with  Iroquois  sachems.  153  j*' 
meeting  of,  at  the  beginning  of 
the  French  and  Indian  War,  222, 
223 ;  its  instructions  to  the  mis- 
sionaries, 308;  relinquishes  the 
Mission  among  the  Iroquois,  319, 
320 ;  removes  the  Mission  to 
Ohio,  370  ;  its  diiHculties  during 
the  Revolution,  481 ;  publishes 
the  documents  relating  to  the 
massacre  at  Gnadenhiitten,  577; 
active  in  resuscitating  the  Mis- 
sion, 582 ;  a  change  among  its 
members,  661. 

Mobilian  Indians,  31. 


INDEX. 


733 


Mohicans,  nn  Indian  tribe,  36. 
»^Mohnwks,  an    Indian    nation,  38, 
54. 

Montauks,  nn  Indian  tribo,  105. 

Mr)7itour,  Madame,  72  ;  entertains 
Zinzcndorf,  111 ;  her  i_a;noranee 
of  tlio  Gospel,  111,  note  2. 

Montour,  Andreio,  72 ;  Zinzcndorf  s 
descriptiun  of  liis  appearance, 
112,  note  1 ;  accompanies  Zinzcn- 
dorf to  Wyoming,  112;  accom- 
panies Spangonberg  to  Onondaga, 
132-137;  a  .sister  of  his  joins  the 
Mission,  G21. 

Moo7-,  Thoroitfjhfjood,  a  missionary 
among  the  Indians,  104. 

Moore,  Joseph,  a  Quaker  peace  com- 
missioner, 034. 

Moore,  President,  receives  a  report 
of  the  massacre  at  Gnadenhiitten, 
Ohio,  from  Congress,  574 ;  liis 
message  to  the  Assembly  of  Penn- 
sylvania about  the  massacre,  576, 
577. 

Moore,  Samuel,  a  convert,  talks  on 
religion  with  the  militia  at  the 
massacre,  544. 

Moore,  Justice,  escorts  the  Christian 
Indians,  309. 

Morgan,  Colonel  Oeorge,  the  Indian 
Agent  for  the  West,  424,  note  1, 
439,  note  1 ;  his  testimony  con- 
cerning the  Christian  Indians, 
424,  note  1 ;  correspondence  with 

— -the  Delawares  about  an  Episco- 
pal missionary,  439 ;  at  Pittsburg, 
44j;  correspondence  with  the 
Delawares  about  the  Moravian 
missionaries,  449 ;  dissatisfied 
with  the  treaty  of  1778,  468. 

Morris,  Governor,  receives  Zeisber- 
ger's  deposition,  226 ;  disputes 
with  the  Assembly  in  the  Indian 
and  French  War,  227 ;  receives 
an  address  from  the  Christian 
Indians,  238 ;  promises  them 
protection,  2.39;  dechires  war 
against  the  Shawanesejind  Dela- 
-vsuuajs,  243 ;  sends  peace-mes- 
sages to  the  Indians,  ib. 
Moravian  Church,  ingenei'al,  origin 
698;  an  account  of,  098-700;  in- 
crease, 098 ;  destruction,  098, 699 ; 
renewal,   699 ;    present   govern- 


ment, 699,  70 ;  foreign  missions, 
700. 

Moravian  Church,  in  America,  ac- 
cused of  sympathy  with  the 
French,  177;  courage  of  her 
members  in  the  French  and  In- 

,  dian  War,  222;  maligned  and 
persecuted,  223,  228. 

Mortimer,   lienjamin,  a  Moravian 
missionary,  biography,  048,  note 
1;  joins  the  Mission',  048;  Ja.n^y 
well  discourse  nt.  Pniitielil,  fiW\ 
050;  his  memorial  to  Governorl 
St.  Clair,_Jiiiii;    admonishes  thoj 
Goshen  Indians  to  repent,  671 ; 
ministers    to    Zcisbcrger   in    his 
dying   hours,   672;    his    prayer 
at   Zeisberger's  death-bed,    674; 
sketch  of  Zeisberger's  character, 
082, 083  ;  remarks  about  the  fre- 
quent journeys  of  the  Christian 
Indians,    079,   note   1 ;    preaches 
Zeisberger's   funeral  sermon    in 
English,  084. 

Mount  Zion,  a  Moravian  Mission 
station  among  the  Cherokees,  697. 

Mueller,  George  Godfrey,  biogra- 
phy, 603,  note  2;  the  pastor  of 
the  white  settlers  on  the  Tuscara- 
was reservation,  663;  visits  Zeis- 
berger  on  his  death-bed,  673 ; 
preaches  his  funeral  sermon  in 
German,  684. 

N. 

Nain,  a  Moravian  Mission  town, 
248;  description  of  it,  251,  252; 
threatened  with  destruction,  275; 
an  attack  upon  it  prevented,  280; 
the  town  abandoned  and  its 
houses  sold,  307-309. 

Nanticokes,  an  Indian  tribe,  36 ;  in 
the  Wyoming  valley,  70;  visit 
Gnadenhiitten  and  Bethlehem, 
186,  204;  emigrate  to  the  Iro- 
quois country,  200,  208;  their 
mode  of  burial,  206  ;  a  remnant 
of  the  tribe  joins  those  in  the 
Iroquois  country,  322,  323 ;  they 
dwindle  to  a  few  families,  642. 

Nanticoke,  Samuel,  a  convert,  liis 
conversation  with  Zeisberger 
about   the  massacre,  558,   559 ; 


784 


INDEX. 


leads  tho  Christian  Indians  to 
Pipe's  Town,  5GD ;  rejoins  tho 
Mission,  5();5;  guides  the  con- 
veris  to  tho  Cuyiihoga,  692;  his 
conversation  witli  one  of  tlie 
scattered  converts,  593;  goes  on 
an  emb;i<>iy  to  tlieni,  594;  his 
converstttioii  with  his  brother, 
595. 

JVarm^rtwse^/s,  a  tribe  of  Indians,  36. 

Natcltez,  a  tribe  of  Indians,  30. 

Nathaniel,  ii  native  assistant,  270, 


note  1 ;    accompanies 
to  Maciiiwiiiiiusing, 


Zeisberger 
270. 


Nazareth,  a  Moravian  settlement, 
65;  in  tlio  I'ontiac  War,  280, 
285. 

Nelsser,  Oeoi\ge,  a  Moravian  cler- 
gyman, 287. 

Netawatwen,  the  head  chief  of  the 
Delawares,  .349  and  note  1 ;  en- 
tertains Zeisberger,  366;  grants. 
tho  Christian  Indians  land,  372; 
troubled  about  tlie  ditlerences 
among  Ciiristian  cliurehes,  387, 
388;  "his  disputes  with  White 
Eyes,  413-417;  reconciled  to 
White  Eyes,  422;  promulgates 
the  edict  of  religious  liberty  at 
Gnadenhiittcn,  Hi.;  sends  a  mes- 
sage about  the  Gospel  to  Pac- 
kaiil<e,  U).;  urges  Zeisberger  to 
build  a  third  town,  432,  433  ;  his 
death,  442,  443. 

Neutral  Nation,  a.  tribe  of  Indians, 
38. 

Neville,  Colonel  John,  commandant 
at  Fort  Pitt  in  1777,  445. 

Newallil;e.,  a  Delaware  chief,  315; 
receives  a  message  from  Gover- 
nor Penn,  337;  joins  the  Mis- 
sion, 394  and  note  2  ;  becomes  an 
apostate,  450  and  note  1. 

New  Castle,    Captain,  an    Iroquois 
friendly  to  the  Colonies,  242  and 
note  2 ;  243. 
f^New  Fairfield,  a  Moravian  Mission 
town,  695. 

New  Qnadenhiitten,  a  Moravian 
Mission  town,  578,  579  and  note  1. 

New  Kaskaskunk,  the  capital  of  the 
'^  ■  j^onscys  in  1770,  301. 

New  Orleans,  poi)ulation  in  1771, 
375. 


New   Salem,  a    Moravian    Mission 
town,  602,  603  and  note  1 ;  a  re- 
vival  tlii-re,  CiOl;    ii-i   prosjicrity 
amid  a  famino,  612,  613;  aban- 
doned,   621;    ileslri'Vcd,    653;    u 
child   buried  in    its  grave-yard, 
6.")3. 
New  Sch'i        inn,  a  ^[oravian  Mis- 
sion tou    .  473  and  note  1 ;  occu- 
pied  by  the  converts,   476;    dc- 
stroy-d,   553,    554 ;    revisited    by 
Zeisberger  in  171IH,  655,  note  1. 
New  Sprinif  Plare,  a  Moravian  mis- 
sionary station,  697. 
New  Westfield,  a  Moravian  Mission 

station,  696. 
Neio  Viirk  Province,  description  of, 

48,  50-54. 
New  York  City,  description  of,  49, 

50. 
New  Fork  Government,  53. 
Nicholas,   a    convert,    Zoisberger's 
guide  on   his  last  journev,  653, 
654. 
Nitschmann,     David,    a    iloravian 
bishop,    biography,    16,    note   1 ; 
leads  emigrants  to  Georgia,  16 ; 
founds     Bethlehen.,    23;     visits 
Zinzendorf  in  Wyoming,  114. 
Nitschmann,    Daviil,    the     Syndic, 
biography,    314,    7iotc    2;    visits 
America,  314;  convenes  a  Synod 
at  Bethlehem,  316. 
Nitschmann,  A7ina,  biography,  110, 
note  3;  accompanies  Zinzendorf 
on  his  last  journev  to  the  Indian 
country,  110,  lU,  112. 
Nitschmann,     John,    a     Moravian 
bishop,   biography,  152,   note  1 ; 
President  of  tho  Alission  Board, 
152. 
Nitschmann,  Martin,  killed  in  tho 
massacre  on   tho    ilahony,  220, 
232,  236. 
Nitschmann,  Susanna,   carried    off 
as  a  captive  by  the  Indians.  220, 
232  ;  her  sufferings  and  death  at 
Tioga,  236. 
Noah,  the  first  Moravian  convert 
from    the    Cherokccs,    394    and 
note  1. 
Noble,  Thomas,  aids  Zeisberger  and 
Post  during  their  imprisonment, 
124,  125,  note  1. 


INDEX. 


735 


Northwest  Territory^  ordinnnoe  for 
its  governmont,  60tj;  itn  tirst 
white  nottloiiM'nts,  007  ;  great  in- 
crenso  of  sottler^,  055;  its  legis- 
Ittt'  i-e  prohibits  tho  tale  of  nrdciit 
spiri.R  on  tho  Tuscarawas  reser- 
vation, 050  ;  the  jirohibitory  act 
repcnlbil,  005. 


O. 

'^Oehqunri,  or   Bear  family,  among 
tlio  Iroquois.  78 

0-Jisc/ni^ore,  Ilcnry  Frey's  Indian 
name,  208. 

Oglethorpe,  Jnmps,  founds  the 
Colony  of  G.'orgiu,  15;  assists 
Zeisborgcr  and  8chober,  19,  20. 

Offilvie,  John,  a  missionary  among 
tho  Indians,  104,  188. 

Ohio  Co»ipnny  buys  land  of  Con- 
gress, GOO. 

Ohneberg,  Sarah,  marries  Hecko- 
weldor,  477,  478. 

Oil  Well.'^,  in    Zeisberger's    times, 
854  and  7ioie  1. 
"^Oy'i''i"r?.'(,  an  Indian  tribe,  73. 

O'd  K(is/;(iskunk,  tlw  first  capital  of 
the  Monscys  in  Western  Penn- 
sylvania, oOl. 
''^Oneidas,  an  Iroquois  nation,  38,  55; 

neutral  in  the  lie  volution,  443. 
"^^Onondagas,  an  Iroquois  nation,  38, 
50 

Onondaga,  tho  capital  of  tho  Iro- 
quois League,  60. 

Oochgetogy,  n  Moravian  3Iission 
station,  etio. 

Opnkiii,  a  narno  for  Now  Schon- 
brunn,  05'    "  -'c  1. 

Oppelt,u  ^loi  avian  missionary,  000; 
begins  ami  -ion on  the  Pottquott- 
ing,  003. 

Oquacho.  or  Wolf  family,  among 
the  Iroquois,  78. 

Ostonwacken,  an  Indian  town,  72; 
visited  by  Zin^ondorf,  111. 

Otsehlnachiatha.  wn  Iroquoissachem 
and  friend  of  Zeisberger,  200, 202, 
2(l,s,  212. 
''^Otlnivas,  an  Indian  tribe,  30,  73; 
side  against  tl.  United  States  in 
the   Kevolution,  441;    refuse  to 


take  part  in  tho  British  expedi- 
tion against  the  Mission,  \>*\}. 
Oftigamies,  an  Indian  tribe,  73. 


Pachgntqoch,  a  Moravian  Mission 
station,  117  and  note  1,  2.V5,  3G(», 
note  2.     . 

PaehgnntHchlhiUas, n.T>(>}i\\\[wo  cnii- «^ 
tain,    at      GiuidenhiittelT!    354  ; 
meets    tlie    poace   commissioners 
of  the  United  States,  O.'JO. 

Pa.,':ankr,  head  cliicf  of  the  WOlf*^ 
tribe  of  Dolawaros,  349;  invites 
Zi'isbcrgtu'  to  begin  a  Mission, 
358  ;  wi'icomes  the  converts,  301  ; 
upbraids  Ulikkikun,  3t  _',  303; 
receives  a  message  about  the 
Gospel  from  Netawatwes,  4;i:,'. 

Papnnhank,  John,  an  Indian 
preacher,  2(17;  baptized,  271,  272; 
goes  to  Province  Island,  289  ; 
helps  to  lay  out  Friedepshiitten, 
310  ;  accomi)anios  Zeisborger  to 
Gosehgoschiink,  324-335;  his 
death,"427. 

Parliament,  Act  of,  in  favor  of  tho 
Moravians,  154. 

Parrish,  John,  a  Quaker  peace  com- 
missioner, 034. 

Part.->ch,  George  and  Maria,  escape 
from  tho  massacre  on  the  Ma- 
hony,  229,  231,  232,  234,  235. 

Pavton  Insurrection,  282-304. 

Paxion  Insurgents  leave  Lancaster 
County,  298 ;  reach  Gcrmantown, 
301;  receivecommissioners,  302; 
return  home,  ih. 

Paxnous,  a  Shawaneso  chief,  220; 
interferes  with  the  Mission  at 
Gnadenhiittnn,  ib.;  baptism  of 
his  wife,  ib.;  a  friend  of  the 
Colonies  in  the  Indian  War,  224, 
225,  220  ;  at  tho  treutvat  Easton 
in  1757,  249. 

Peace  of  Aix-la-Chapelle,  140, 170. 

Peace  of  Paris,  580,  581. 

Peace  Confederation,  Indian,  in 
1789,  010',  Oil ;  offers  to  protect 
the  Christian  Indians,  Oil ;  loses 
its  influence,  015. 

Pemahoaland,  tho  first  convert  at 
Goshen,  050. 


736 


INDEX, 


Pemberton,  Israel,  cspouBna  the 
causo  of  tho  Christiun  Indians  in 
tho  Piixton  Insurrection,  283, 
292,  300. 

Penn,  William,  his  policy,  59. 

Penn,  John,  Governor  of  Pennsyl- 
vuniu,  282 ;  applies  to  General 
Gago  for  troops,  293 ;  sends 
Christian  Indians  out  of  the 
Province,  293 ;  his  message  to 
the  Assembly,  296,  297 ;  taken  ill 
in  tho  midst  of  the  Paxton  Insur- 
rection, 301 ;  negotiates  with  tho 
insurgents,  302;  his  proclama- 
tion of  peace,  306;  his  measures 
to  prevent  an  Indian  war  in 
17C8,  336,  337;  forbids  tho  sur- 
veyors to  run  a  lino  near  Frie- 
denshiitten,  370;  his  relations  to 
Lord  Dunmore,  400. 

Pennaynite  and  Yankee  War.  See 
War,  Pannamite  and  Yayikee. 

Pennsylvania,  description  of,  in 
1745,  59-69. 

Pennsylvania,  government  of,  68, 
69. 

Pennsylvania  Synod,  the,  106  and 
note  2;  153,  note  1. 
"^Pequods,  an  Indian  tribe,  36, 

Petty,  John,  a  son  of  Shikellimy, 
160. 

Pettquotting  Mission,  the  second, 
663;  abandoned,  665,  666. 

Peters,  Richard,  Secretary  of  tho 
Pennsylvania  Council,  69;  his 
Indian  name,  165;  Cammerhoff 
at  his  house,  178;  receives  an 
express  about  the  massacre  on  tho 
Mahony,  236. 

Peter,  a  convert,  helps  to  begin  the 
Mission  at  Goschgoschiink,  338 ; 
leaves  Goschgoschhiink,  346. 

Peter,  David  and  Dorcas,  early 
settlers  on  tho  Tuscarawas  reser- 
vation, 657,  note  1 ;  David  buries 
the  bones  of  the  murdered  con- 
verts, 647,  note  1- 

Peyster,  de,  Major,  commandant  of 
Detroit,  520;  examines  the  mis- 
sionaries, 521,  622;  conducts 
their  trial,  524-528 ;  his  charac- 
ter, 528,  529;  gives  tho  missiona- 
ries a  passport,  529  and  note  1 ; 
remands  them  to  Detroit,  533, 


536 ;  his  reasons  for  this  measure, 
661 ;  helps  to  revive  tho  Mission, 
602. 

Philadelphia,  description  of,  in  1745, 
01-63. 

Pickering,  Colonel,  United  States 
peace  comnussioner,  034. 

Pilgerruh,  a  IMoraviun  Mission 
town,  692,  693,  and  note  1 ;  aban- 
doned, 699  ;  its  ruins,  053. 

Pilgrims  at  Plymouth,  42. 

Pipe's  Town,  618  and  note  2. 

Pipe,  Captain,  of  tho  Wolf  tribe  of  *^ 
Delg wares.  433,  note  2 ;  secedes 
from  tho  nation,  433,  434  ;  ad- 
vocates war  against  the  United 
States,  458,  403,  470,  479 ;  takes 
part  in  the  British  expedition 
against  tho  Mission,  491 ;  on  his 
way  to  the  trial  of  tho  missiona- 
ries, 619,  622,  523;  advocates 
their  cause,  524-520 ;  has  Colo- 
nel Crawford  tortured,  567  ;  his 
regret  at  having  taken  part  in 
the  British  expedition,  001 ;  joins 
the  peace  confederation,  OlU; 
aids  tho  Christian  Indians,  616; 
his  death,  641. 

Pitt,  Fort,  and  Pittsburg,  visited  by 
Zeisberger  in  1709,  357;  the  In- 
dian converts  there,  360;  seized 
by  John  Connolly,  400;  tho 
American  Western  center  in  the 
Kevolution,  445. 

P'qm,  "^  §hawftnnso  tribe,  37|,   .X* 

Pluggy's  Town,  a  Western  Indian 
village,  445,  446. 

Point  Pleasant,  battle  of,  407,  408. 

Pokanokets,  an  Indian  tribe,  36. 

Pomoacan.  See  Half  King  of  the 
Wyandots. 

Pontiac  Conspiracy.  See  War  of 
Pontiac. 

Pontine,    a   chief  of  the   Ottawas,^^ 
262 ;  his  character,  263  ;  his  con- 
spiracy, 263,  204. 

Post,  Frederick  Christian,  a  Mora- 
vian missionary,  biography,  121, 
note  2;  in  New  England,  117; 
in  tho  Mohawk  country,  121 ; 
arrested  and  imprisoned,  123- 
130;  in  Wyoming,  221 ;  his  em- 
bassies to  tho  Western  Indians 
during  the  War,  250,  261;   in 


INDEX, 


737 


Ohio,  2')(5;  trios  to  induce  Zois- 
borycr   to  louvo    tlio    Moravian 
Church,  261. 
Potaiik,  u  Moravian  Mission  sta- 
tion, 117  and  note  1. 
"^Pofnwatom.iqa,  an  Indian  tribe,  30, 

73.  r 

Potv/inttan  Confederacy,  80. 

Powell,  Joseph,  biography,  142, 
iKite  2;  at  .Slianioitin,  142,  149. 

Preachers,  Indian,  un  account  of, 
205-207. 

Presser,  Martin,  killed  in  the  mas- 
sacre on  the  Malioiiy.  229,  236. 

Putnam,  General  Jlufits,  founds 
Marietta,  007;  treats  with  the 
Western  Indians,  032,  G33;  sur- 
veys the  Tuscarawas  reservation, 
647. 

Pyrlaeus,  Christopher,  a  Moravian 
missionary,  100;  biography,  120; 
note  2;  in  New  England,  117; 
teaches  tho  Indian  languages, 
120. 

Q. 

Quakei'S,  the,  espouse  tho  cause  of 
the  Christian  Indians  in  the  Pax- 
ton  Insurrection,  283,  288;  ac- 
cused of  swaying  tho  Assembly 
of  Pennsylvania,  291,292;  pro- 
pose to  send  tho  Christian  In- 
dians to  Nantucket  I.sland,  292 ; 
rewards  ofl'ered  for  j.he  scalps  of 

-j.pr""'""'"t  igcj}  among  them^ 
299;  assailed  through  the  press, 
303;  send  a  present  to  the  Chris- 
tian Indians,  376,  note  2 ;  a  party 
of  them  accompanies  tho  peace 
commission  of  1793,  034;  their 
letter  and  gift  to  the  Christian 
Indians,  034  and  note  1 ;  send  a 
deputation  to  Zeisborger  to  con- 
sult about  the  conversion  of  the 
Indians,  660,  661. 


B. 

Raleigh,  Sir  Walter,  his  American 

expeditions,  41. 
Randolph,  Beverhy,  a  United  States 

peace  commissioner,  034. 
Rattlesnake  nest,  137,  138. 


Rati,  John,  a  settler  near  Sheko- 
nicko,  98. 

Rail,  Srryeant,  in  command  of  a 
guard  sent  to  protect  the  mis- 
sionaries, oOl. 

Ranch,  Christian  Henry,  tho  tlrst 
Moravian  missionary  to  the  In- 
dians, 97  ;  biograf.hy,  97,  note  1 ; 
difflciilties,  and  success  of  his 
work,  10.') ;  baptizes  the  first  con- 
verts, 107  and  note  1 ;  at  (Jiia- 
deiihiitten,  141. 

Reichel,  John  Frederick,  a  ^lora- 
vian  bishop,  biography,  480,  note 
1 ;  visits  America,  480. 

Renatusf  a  convert,  arrested  for 
murder, 281 ;  imprisoned  in  Phil- 
adelphia, 284;  acquitted,  305; 
subsequent  history  and  death, 
681. 

Reservation,  Christian  Indian,  on 
the  Tiiscarawas,  laid  out,  047  ; 
ardent  sjnrits  prohibited  on  it, 
050 ;  part  of  it  leased  to  white 
settlors,  057;  tho  first  settlers, 
657, 7iote  1 ;  receive  a  minister  of 
their  own,  058 ;  evil  influences  of 
tho  traders,  001 ;  a  second  church 
organized  for  the  settlers,  003 ; 
prohibitory  law  repealed,  005. 

Revolutio7i,  the.  See  War  of  the 
Revolution. 

Rex,  Augustus,  a  convert,  154  ;  car- 
ries peace-messages,  244;  forsakes 
tho  Mission,  252;  rejoins  tho 
Mission  and  dies,  260. 

Rise.cker,  Jacob,  drives  the  first 
teams  to  the  Tuscarawas  reserva- 
tion, 057,  note  1. 

Robinson,  Captain,  escorts  tho  Chris- 
tian Indians,  294. 

Robbins,  a  trader,  entertains  tho 
missionaries,  530;  visits  Cap- 
tives' Town,  558. 

Roessler,  a  Moravian  mLssionary, 
escapes    from    tho    massacre    at 
Penn's  Creek,  225,  note  2. 
Rose,  The,  a  tavern,  309. 
Rothrock,  John,  assistant  surveyor 
on   the  Tuscarawas  reservation, 
046,  647,  note  1. 
Roth,  John,  a  Moravian  missionary, 
biography,  388,  note  2;  leads  tho 
Christian   Indians  to   Philadel- 


47 


738 


INDEX. 


phia,  286;  on  the  Su?quehanaa, 
369;  lends  the  Chriscian  Indians 
to  the  West,  376;  at  Friedons- 
stadt,  380  ;  at  Gnndonhiitten  and 
Suhonbrunn,  388 ;  loaves  tlie 
Mission,  405;  subsequent  history 
and  death,  405,  note  1. 

Roth,  John  Lewis,  tlie  first  white 
child  born  in  Ohio,  388  and  n  ite 
2  ;  his  subsequent  history  and 
death,  405,  note  1. 

Roth,  Maria  Agnes,  the  mother  of 
the  first  white  child  born  in  Ohio, 
388  and  note '2;  her  death,  405, 
note  1. 

Rundt,  Godfrey,  a  Moravfan  mis- 
sionary, 188;  biography,  188, 
note  1 ;  visits  Onondaga  with  Zeis- 
berger,  188-203. 

Ratherforth,  Captain,  at  Albanj', 
124. 

S 

Sacs,  an  Indian  tribe,  73. 
■jSachenufhips,  among  the  Iroquois, 
76,  77. 

Salem,  a  Moravian  Mission  town, 
477  and  note  1  ;  first  wedding  of 
a  wliite  couple  in  Ohio  in  its 
chapel,  477, 478 ;  British  Indians 
encamp  there,  4'Jl  ;  th»  last 
Lord's  Supper,  511 ;  its  ruins,  647, 
note  2 ;  white  settlers  occupy  its 
site,  657. 

Sally  Hand,  a  colony  in  Canada, 
631. 

Sacrifices,  among  the  Indians,  95, 
96,  344,  351-353. 

Savery,  William,  a  Quaker  peace 
commi.ssioner,  634. 

Scalp-yell,  among  the  Indians,  508, 
509  and  7iote  1. 

Schebosh,  John  Joseph,  an  assistant 
Moravian  missionary,  131 ;  bi- 
ography, 131.  note  1;  accompa- 
nies Spangenberg  to  Onondaga, 
131 ;  adopted  among  the  Iroquois, 
134;  at  Gnadonhiitten,  229; 
brings  the  news  of  Dunmore's 
War  to  Schonbrunn,  403;  flees 
to  Litiz,  454  ;  goes  to  Pittsburg, 
463  ;    cjirries   peace-messages. to 

^^the  Delawares.  JM-i  captured 
with  a  party  of  converts  by  Amer- 


ican militia,  518,  519;  liberated 
by  General  Irvine  and  goes  to 
Bethlehem,  531  and  note  1  ;  visits 
Pittsburg  after  themassacre,  574, 
675,  576;  reunited  with  his  fam- 
ily at  New  Gnaden^iitten,  582; 
purchasesprovisions'for  the  Mis- 
sion at  Pittsburg,  592,  593  ;  re- 
ceiv('s  Heckeweliierat  Pilgerruh, 
590:  hisdeath,605;  hischaracter, 
ib.;  his  family,  605,  7iote  1. 

Schebosh,  Joseph,  son  of  the  preced- 
ing, hilled  by  American  militia, 
541. 

Schmidt,  Anthony,  the  smith  at 
Shamokin,  142,  149;  buries  the 
remains  of  the  victims  in  themas- 
sacre on  the  Jluhony,  235,  note  1. 

Schmick,  John  Jacob,  a  Moravian 
missionary,  184 ;  biography,  184, 
note  1 ;  at  Gnacienhiitten  at  the 
time  of  the  massacre,  229 ;  in 
Philadelphia  during  the  Pontiac 
War,  280,  281,  287  ;  accompanies 
the  Christian  Indians  on  their 
way  to  New  York,  294;  on  their 
journey  to  Friedenshiitten,  308, 
300 ;  at  Friodenshutten,  318,  869 ; 
in  Ohio,  388,  447;  udopted/ 
among;  the  Shawnnese,  447,  note 
2;  disapproves  of  Zeisberger's 
course  in  the  Revolution,  452 ; 
flees  to  Litiz,  454;  his  death, 
454,  7iote  1. 

Schmick,  assistant  surveyor  on  the 
Tuscarawas  reservation,  647  and 
note  2 ;  helps  to  build  Goshen, 
654. 

Schober,  John  Michael,  18 ;  runs 
away  from  Herrcndyk  with 
Zeisberger,  19;  his  death,  20. 

Schweigert,  George,  killed  in  tho 
massacre  on  the  Maliony,  229, 
232,  236. 

Schonbrunn,  a  Moravian  Mission 
town,  372 ;  its  site,  376  and  note 
1 ;  its  name,  377  ;  the  plan  of  tho 
town,  880,  note  1 ;  its  chapel 
dedicated,  380;  a  i^vival  there, 
383,  393;  its  municipal  system, 
423,  424;  a  revival  in  1776,  432; 
a  conspiracy  against  the  3Iission 
among  some  of  its  inhabitants, 
149-451 ;  abandoned,  452. 


INDEX. 


739 


Scherfixchlqunnxiik,  ii  Moravinn 
Mis.>*ion  stiition,  ;ir)0  ;  iii)!iiKl(irK'(l, 
370;  iiuinhiT  of  its  inliahitants, 
370,  noir  1. 

Sr/iweiiiUz,  Jn/in  C/rri.itian  Alr.r- 
ander  dr,  bio<rraphy,  309,  nofe  1  ; 
comos  to  Ami'riea,  300 ;  ti  mem- 
biT  of  the  ^[ission  Hoard,  Ih.; 
activ<!  in  tlio  Board  during  tlu! 
Revolution,  480,  58 'J ;  endeavors 
to  a.sc'iTtain  whitiifr  tiio  mission- 
aries havo  been  carried  by  the 
Britisli  Indians,  o23  ;  his  dea.tii, 
601. 

Schivcini./g,  Frrder'h-k  do.  explores 
the  Cherokee  eountrv,  003 

tichweiidiz.  Lewis  David  dc,  a  Mo- 
ravian clergynn\n,  treats  with 
Congress  and  the  United  States 
comnussioner  about  the  Tuscar- 
awas reservation,  OOu,  000 

Schnall,  a  ]\[oriivian  niissionarv, 
002;   leave.;  the  Mission,  OOo. 

Schloifn'r,  Cnpidin.  escorts  tiie  Chris- 
tian Indians,  297;  commands  the 
British  barrack's  in  the  Paxton 
Insurrection,  299. 

Sf/niessrie's  painting  of  Zcisberger 
preaching  to  tiio  Indians,  331, 
7iofe  1. 

Sc/un/lc)-,  Mai/or,  at  Alb.iny,  123; 
his  parting  words  to  .'deisbergcr 
and  Post,  124. 

Scoicli- Irish  scitlcrs,  tlieir  animo-- 
ity  toward  the  Indians,  27t),  2V0  ; 
murder  the  Conestoga  Indians, 
290 ;  their  hatred  of  the  Qualcrs, 
292. 

Scott,  Ocncral,  his  cam)i!'igns 
against  the  Western  Indians. 
014,  02;'). 

Scidel,  Christian,  accompanies  Zeis- 
berger  to  "W'voming,  22i  and 
note  2,  225. 

Seidd,  Nnthanifl,  a  ^loraviun 
bishop,  biograpliy,  130,  vote  1  ; 
visits  Zeisberger  and  Post  in  jail, 
130;  travels  to  Europe  with  Zeis- 
bcrgcr,  178-181  ;  president  of 
the  Jlission  Board,  250;  recalls 
Zeisberger  from  Machiwihihi- 
Bing,  273  ;  hears  of  the  massacre 
at  Gnadenhiitten  in  Ohio,  573  ; 
his  death,  082. 


Snnsrmnn.  JuacJiim,  a  Moravian 
missionary  in  NewP^ngiand.  117; 
escapes  from  the  massacre  on  tiie 
iMahony,  i.':^\  231,  234. 

Senscmaii,  Anna  Catharine,  killccl 
in  the  massacre  on  the  >[ahonv, 
229,  2;!3. 

Senscman,  Gottloh,  a  Moravian  mis- 
sionary, accompanie.i  Zeislierger 
to  Wyoming,  200  ;  to  Onondisa, 
318-320  ;  toGoschgoschtink.  338- 
349;  to  Fort  Pitt.  357,  358; 
goes  to  Bethlehem,  3<')5  ;  rejoins 
the  Mission  477  :  at  New  .Sch.in- 
runn,  478  ;  his  experieiK'cs  dur- 
ing the  Briti>h  expi'dition  against 
the  Mission,  498,  504,  50r).  500, 
509;  trial  at  Detroit,  518;  at  De- 
troit again,  503  ;  at  New  Gnufien- 
hiitlen,  579;  gftes  to  Betiilehem, 
580;  returns  to  the  .Mission,  014  ; 
sails  to  the  mouth  of  the  D'troit, 
02-'!;  atNiagara.035,fi30;  prcache^i 


I      ! 


to  the  white  .'^ettlers  in  CaiuidTTN 
044;  refuses  to  serv(>  in  the  Ca- 
nadian Assembly,  045;  ti'acln's 
tlu  school  at  Fairlield,  ib.:  his 
oiscourse  previous  to  the  depart-, 
ure  of  Zei.sberger,  0-JO;  his  deatii, 
G.j8. 

Senseman,  Clirisfian  Dnvii/,  horn 
at  the  time  of  the  British  expe- 
dition against  the  Mis-ion,  498 
and  nnte  1;  taken  to  Detroit,  535 
and  note  1. 

!:'enccas,  an  Iroquois  nation,  3S.  57. l^'' 

■Settlements  in  the  West .  i\.\nm\  1771, 
375. 

Sey/ert,  Anthony,  theiirst  ^lornviari 
clergyman  ordained  in  Ann'rica, 
10;  visits  Zinzendorf  in  ^\'yo- 
ming,  114;  advises  with  Zeis- 
berger and  Post  during  their  im- 
prisonment, 124,  125. 

SJifiwaucse,  an  Indjau  tribe,  WsJJL'^ 
the  Wyoming  valley.  70;  vi.-it 
Gnadenhiitten  and  Bethlehem, 
180,  204;  their  hunting-grounds 
Ml  Ohio,  374;  thi'ir  towns  on  tho 
Scioto.  374.  iio/c  2  ;  visiteij  by 
Zeisberger., 382,  383,  389-;!9!; 
incline  to  war  in  1773,  -102;  de- 
feated in  Dunmoro's  War,  400; 
take  part  in  the  battle  of  Point 


111 


740 


INDEX. 


Ploa.=ant,  407,  40S ;  take  sides 
nL!;aiiist  the  Uiiitod  States  ia  the 
li'^vcilution,  441,  447;  besiege 
Port  Laurens,  471 ;  take  part  in 
tlie  liritisli  expedition  asjainst  tlie 
Mission,  489;  send  the  Chr'stian 
Indians  provisions.  530  ;  submit 
to  the  United  States,  588;  active 
in  tlie  now  Indian  War,  CoO  ; 
Captain  Pipe  rebukes  them,  G3G, 
(i:)7. 

S/uibash,  one  of  the  first  converts 
of  the  Moravian  Mission,  98, 
99. 

Shainokin,  the  prineijial  Indian 
vilhige  in  Pennsylvania,  71  and 
nofe  2;  visited  by  Zinzendort' 
111;  by  Span  ;;on  berg,  ]o2;  a 
smithy  and  Mission  there,  141, 
142;  wickcdni.'ss  of  its  inliab- 
itants,  151,  152. 

She/MDieko,  tho  tii'st  iloravian  Mis- 
sion station,  98,  99;  a  church 
organized,  109;  a  chaiiel  dcdi- 
eated,  117  ;  the  site  of  the  village, 

117,  tiofe  1;  the  Mission  broken 
up  bv  the  New  York  Assembly, 

118.  ' 

*v<S7<;"At///wu/,  iroquois  sachem  at  Sha- 
inokin, (T7~atTulpeh()('ken,  101^, 
note  1  ;  entertains  Zinzendorf, 
111  ;  entertains  Wftttevi'le,  149; 
receives  a  gift  from  Zinzendorf, 
149  and  noie  1;  his  conversion 
and  death,  150. 
'^S/i'mgos,  a  Delaware  warrior,  224. 

Sioux,  an  Indian  tribe,  31. 

Six  NdiloK/f.     See  Iroquois. 

Sithovlus,    Chrisfinn,    a    bishop  of 
the  Unitas  Fratrum,  099. 
i—JSimcoe,  Colonel^  Governor  of  Upper 
(Canada,  034;  grants  land  to  the 
Christian  Indians,  038. 

Smit/i,  Major,  commandnnt  at  De- 
troit, 017. 

Smith,  Matthno,  a  leader  of  the 
Paxton  Insurgents,  290.  298. 

Snake,  John  and  Thomas,  two 
Shawaneso  captains,  491. 

Soperhtowa,  another  name  for  James 
Logan,  150. 

Solomon.     See  Allemewi. 
"^Sorcerers,  among  the  Indians,  340, 
341. 


Societi/  for  the  Advanremnit  of  Civ- 
ilization and  C/iristiaiiity  among 
the  Indians,  103. 

Society  for  the  Furthsrattce  of  the 
Gospel  among  the  Heathen,  in 
England,  579,  580;  holds  the 
deed  for  the  Mission  land  in 
Canada,  038. 

Society  of  the  United  Brethren  for 
Propagating  tlie  Oospel  among  the 
Heathen,  in  America,  organized, 
007,  008;  its  first  officers,  008, 
note  1 ;  the  Tuscarawas  reserva- 
tion vested  in  it,  000;  dim<>nsions 
of  the  tract,  007  and  note  3  ;  ap- 
points Jolin  Ileckewelder  its 
agent,  008;  receives  land  from 
the  Assembly  tif  Pennsylvania, 
018,  note  1  ;  memorializes  Con- 
gress about  the  removal  of  the 
Mission  to  Canada,  029,  030 ;  has 
the  Tuscarawas  ri'servation  sur- 
veyed, 040-048 ;  leases  a  part  of 
it  to  white  settlers,  057  and  note  1. 

Soto,  Ferdinand  de,  his  discoveries, 
40,  41. 

Spring  Pfaee,  a  Jloravian  Mission 
station,  095. 

Spangenberg,  Augustus  Gottlieb,  a 
]\Ioravian  bishop,  biography,  15, 
note  2;  obtains  land  from  the 
trustees  of  Georgia,  15,  10;  his 
character,  119;  organizes  a  Mis- 
sion Board  and  a  school  for  young 
missionaries,  120  and  notes  1  anil 
2;  visits  Ononduga,  131-139; 
adopted  amorw^  the  Iroquois,  134  ;' 
goes  to  Eurojje,  155;  returns  to 
America,  184 ;  visits  Europe 
again  and  returns,  205,  214;  at 
the  Governor's  Council  in  1750, 
243  ;  enters  the  Directory  of  the 
Unitas  Fratrum,  250. 

St.  Au(/nstinf,  41. 

.S'i!.  Clair,  Arthur,  clerk  of  West- 
moreland Cmmty,  Pennsylvania, 
400;  Governor  of  the  Northwest 
Territory,  000,  007  ;  notifies  tho 
Indians  of  the  grant  made  to  the 
Christian  Indians,  010  ;  a  major- 
general,  025  ;  his  disastrous  cum- 
l)aign  against  tho  Indians,  027, 
628 ;  receives  a  memorial  from 
the  missionaries,  656. 


^v 


INDEX. 


741 


St.  LouM,  a  center  of  the  fur  trndo 
in  1771,  375. 

Sieliier,  Abra/mm,  u  Moravian  mis- 
sionary, accompanioii  Heciiewd- 
der  to  the  West,  Oil  ;  among 
the  Chcrokees,  003. 

Stockbridge,  a  ^lission  station,  6'M). 

Stockbridge  Indians,  wh(!re  estab- 
lished, 009,  000,  nofe  '2;  a  depu- 
tation of  them  visits  Gosiien,  O'i'l. 

Strong,  Lt.-Coloncl,  the  American 
commandant  at  Detroit  in  IT'.iH, 
653. 

Stinton,  John,  murdered  by  tlie 
savages,  278. 

Sturgls,  Joseph,  escapes  I'rom  tlu^ 
massacre  on  the  Mahony,  229, 
232,  233  and  note  1,  235. 

Stnrgis,  Cornelius,  a  scout  in  the 
Pa.vton  Insurrection,  293. 

Stevens,  Aaron,  a  Colonial  inter- 
preter, writes  to  Cammerhofl" 
about  his  visit  to  Onondaga,  177. 

Stump,  Frederick,  murders  peace- 
able Indians,  330 ;  imprisoned 
and  rescued,  337. 

Susquehannocks,  a  tribe  of  Indians, 
30. 

Sullivan,    General,  commands   the 
expedition  against   the  Iroquois 
in  1780,  470. 
'^Sweating  Ovens,  among  the  Indians, 
89  and  note  3. 

Sgmmes,  John  Cleves,  buys  land  of 
Congress,  600. 


Tadeuskund,  Gideon,  a  convert, 
■,t,(i;hief  of  the  Dclamu:cs,  213;  in- 
terferes with  the  Gnadenhiitten 
Mission,  220;  becomes  an  apos- 
tate and  the  King  of  the  DeJa- 
wares,  224;  at  Bethlehem  and 
Easton,  245,  240;  incites  the 
Colonial  government  against  the 
Mission,  240,  247;  at  the  treaty 
of  1767,  249;  entices  Augustus 
Rex  to  leave  the  Mission,  252; 
visited  by  Zeisberger  in  Wyo- 
ming, 259;  bis  death,  208. 
'"vTatemy,  Moses,  a  Delaware  chief, 
107  and  note  2. 


Tawandamaenk,  an  Indian  village 
visited  by  Zeisberger,  273. 

Tecmvseh,  an  Indian  prophet,  005 

Tcdpnchxit,  chief  of  the  Delawares 
in  Indiana,  059;  visits  Pre.-ident 
Jettcrson,  000  ;  murdered  by  his 
tribe,  005. 

Tgarihontic,  John  de  Watteville's 
Indian  name,  153. 

Tgirhitiintie,  Bishop  Spangenbcrg's 
Indinu  name,  134. 

Thuchnci-hions,  a  sonof  Shikellimy, 
150;  temporarily  the  Ii'oipiois 
deputy  at  v'^iianiokin,  151;  a 
friend  of  the  Colonies  in  the  In- 
dian War,  224  ;  escorts  a  mis- 
sionarj'  to  Bethlehem,  225,  note 
2;  escorted  by  Zeisberger  to  Gna- 
denhiitten, 227  ;  at  a  treaty  in 
Philadelphia,  242,  243. 

Thaurraqnechia,  Godfrey  Kundt's 
Indian  mime,  201. 

Thonias,  a  Christiiin  lad,  escapes, 
scalped,  from  the  massacre,  550, 
551  and  note  1. 

Thomas,  a  convert,  grandson  of 
Netawatwes,  rejoins  the  Alission 
after  the  massacre,  581. 

Thomson,  Charles,  the  Secretary  of 
Congress,  receives  a  letter  about 
the  massacre,  573,  574. 

Thdrnstein,  the,  the  name  given  to 
a  mountain-ransre  in  honor  of 
Zinzendorf,  110,' 111.  i 

Thayendanega.     Sec  Brant,  .Joseph.  '^ 

Tiozinossongochfo,  an  Iroquois  vil- 
lage, visited  bv  Zeisberger,  325- 
328. 

Tionnontates,  an  Indian  tribe,  38. 

Titaivachkani,  a  Mousey  captain, 
000;  interferes  with  the  ^lission, 
COO,  001. 

Tobacco  Nation,  an  Indian  tribe,  38  - 

Tobias,  a  convert,  accomjianies  the 
missionaries  to  Detroit,  518;  at 
the  massacre,  544. 

Togahaju,  an  Iroquois  sachem,  311  ; 
refuses  to  allow  the  converts  to 
remain  at  Friedenshiitten,  314, 
315;  visited  by  Zeisbergei'  and 
Senseman,  318. 

Totems,  among  the  Iiulians,  78. 

Traders,    among   thi'   Indians,   an*' 


•^ 


agent  of  Sir  William  Johnson  at 


742 


INDEX. 


Onondaga,  199 ;  a  Dutch  trader 
beats  Zc'isburgcr,  %)\,  202;  their 
general  eharaetcr,  2o5. 

Treaties,  Culoniat,  at  Lancaster 
with  the  Twightwees,  in  1747, 
14j;  at  Albany  with  the  Iro- 
quois in  1747,  14tj;  at  riiihidcl- 
jiliia  with  tlie  Iroquois  in  1749, 
lolj;  at  Albany  witli  the  Iroquois 
in  1751,  18i5;  at  Albany  with  the 
same  in  1754, 210;  at  Philadolpliia 
with  several  chiefs  in  17oG,  242, 
243  ;  at  Easton  in  July  and  No- 
vember, 17o0,  245,  24(i ;  at  Lan- 
caster in  May,  1757,  240-2i8;  at 
Easton  in  July,  1757,  249;  at 
Easton  in  October,  1758,  2;'0,- 
251;  at  Easton  in  1701,253;  at 
Fort  Pitt  in  April,  1708,  333; 
at  Fort  Stanwix  in  October,  1708, 
347,  348. 

Treaties  cf  the  United  Slates,  with 
the  Western  tribes  at  Pittsburg, 
in  1775,  428-430  ;  at  Pittsburg  in 
1770,  442;  at  Pittsburg  in  Sep- 
tember, 1778,  407,  408;  witlj  the 
Iroquois  at  Fort  Stanwix  in  178-^, 
584;  with  the  Delawares  and 
other  tribes  at  Fort  Mcintosh  in 
1784,  585;  with  the  Shawanesc 
at  Fort  Finney,  in  1780,  588; 
with  the  AVestern  tribes  at  Fort 
Uarrnar  in  1789,  008,  009;  with 
some  of  the  Western  tribes  at 
Port  Vincennes  in  1792,  033; 
unsuccessful  treaty  with  the 
Western  tribes  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Detroit,  034-037;  treaty  of 
peace  with  the  Western  tribes  at 
Greenville,  in  1795,  043 :  with 
th(^  Southern  tribes  in  1796,  005; 
with  the  Christian  Indians  and 
the  Society  holding  their  land  in 
1823,  Cio,  090. 

Ti'ueinan,  Major,  murdered  by  the 
Indians,  032. 

Tschoop,  a  misnomer  for  Job,  98, 
7iote  1.     See  Job. 

Tuppakin,  a  name  for  New  Schiin- 
brunn,  055,  note. 

Turek,  John  dc,  tlie  first  Moravian 
Indians  baptized  in  his  barn,  100. 
■'Turtle,  a  clan  among  the  Iroquois, 
78. 


Tascarowas  Fffl^/ey,  a  description  of 
it,  372,  377 ;  its  climate,  373, 
7iote,  1. 

Ta_scaro)-aii,  an  Iroquois  nation^Sj ;  i^ 
n I.' u tral  iii  the  lievolutioiu  443. 

Tittelees,  remnant  of,  149. 

Twiylitwees,  treaty  with,  145  ;  en- 
gage in  the  war  against  the 
United  States,  638. 

Tybout,  a  Frenchman,  entertains 
the  missionaries  at  Detroit,  5^2. 


U. 

Uc/iees,  an  Indian  tribe,  30. 
'^Unamis,  a  Delaware  tribe,  35. 
Vnalacfitfios,  a  Delaware  tribe,  35. 
Vnitas    Frutruni.      See    Moravian 
Chnrcli. 


Van  Vleck,  Henry,  biographj-,  125, 
7iufe  1  ;  sent  to  Bethlehem  with 
the  n(!W?  of  Zeisbergei-'s  and 
Po>t's  imprisonment,  l25. 

Venango,  Fort,  ruins  of,  visited  by 
Zi.'isberger,  358. 

Vernon,  Major,  commands  Fort 
Laurens,  471. 

Verrazzanl,  John,  his  voyages  of 
discovery,  40. 

Vincmmes,  its  population  in  1771, 
375 

w. 

Walker,  Colonel,  United  States 
peace  commissioner,  429. 

Walking  Purchase,  64,  note  2. 

Wallace,  William,  his  family  mur- 
dered by  the  Indians,  539. 

Wampnnoags,  an  Indian  tribe,  36. 

Wangomen,  an  Indian  preacher, 
332;  discomfited  by  ZeisbergC', 
333-335;  his  relation  t>  the 
Mission  at  (ioschgoschUaiv,  iji\ 
339,  344,  345,  3-53^359;  natura;. 
izes  Zfusberger  arcvur  the  Mc?;- 
seys,  364  ;  cxplain.s  Mo  views  ot 
the  Christian  Indians  witii  re- 
gard to  tribute,  364,  365. 

Wariier,  Ezra,  and  Peter,  early  set- 
tlors on  the  Tuscarawas  rcsorva- 
tiou,  657,  note  1. 


INDEX. 


743 


Warte,  Die,  or  the  Watch  Tower,  n 
Moraviiin  Mission  station,  G'J-1 
and  note  1. 

War  between  England  and  Sjmin, 
in  1730,  2-2. 

War  between  England  and  Franee, 
in  1744,  53,  74,  118,  122. 

War,  French  and  Indian,  in  1755, 
jiroliniin:iiv  couiplications,  205, 
208,212,  215;  Uraddociv's  defeat, 
222;  tlie  nanius  of  tliu  tribes  en- 
gaged in  it,  223,  224;  first  mas- 
sacres, 224;  progress  of  the  war, 
241-25;> :  reverses  of  England, 
249 ;  William  Pitt's  energy,  250 ; 
decisive  battle  at  Quebec,  252; 
Canada  c(;ded  to  England,  253. 
"-^War  of  I'ontlae  })lanncd,  203,  264, 
breaks  out,  270;  the  forts  cap- 
tured, ib.;  progress  of  the  war, 
274,  275;  triumph  of  the  Colo- 
nies, 80(3. 

War,  Pennamite  and  Yankee,  208, 
209,  370. 

War,  Dnnmore's,  390-409. 

War  (if  the  Revolution,  approach- 
ing, 421 ;  progress  of,  428;  West- 
ern border  war,  441-471. 

War  of  the  United  States  v;ifh  the 
Western  Indian.i.  614-016,  624, 
025,  027,  628,  032,  633,  038-040. 

War  of  the  United  States  with  Great 
Britain,  in  lbl2,  694. 

Wasamapah.     See  Job. 

Was,  'ngton,  George,  his  mission  +0 
the  French  on  the  Ohio,  212,  215 ; 
defeats  the  French,  215  ;  com- 
mander-in-chief of  the  Amer- 
ican armies,  428 ;  plans  a  cam- 
pahj;n. jigainst  the  Iro^iioiSj^^476j 
inaugurated  PresichmtrGTCrpre- 
ceives  a  visit  from  Indian  chiefs, 
633 ;  the  pacification  of  the  In- 
dians n  special  object,  055. 

Wattemlle,  Baron  John  do,  biog- 
raphy, 147,  note  1 ;  character, 
146  ;  arrives  in  America,  ib.; 
visits  the  Indian  country,  147- 
150;  adopted  among  the  Iroquois, 
163,  note  3 ;  returns  to  Europe, 
155;  second  visit  to  America, 
587 ;  his  letter  to  Zeisberger  about 
tho  reservation,  687  ;  his  farewell 
let;      -0  the  Christian  Indians, 


013 ;     returns    to    Europe,   603, 
note  2. 

Wayne,  General,  commands  an  ex- 
pedition against  the  Western  In- 
dians, 632 ;  his  victorious  ciiin- 
paign.  038-640;  liis  prudence, 
641. 

Wechqnetanf:,  a  Moravian  Mission 
town,  250  and  note  1  ;  threatened 
with  destruction,  275,  278,  279; 
destroyed,  280. 

Wechquadnai:h,i\  Moravian  Mission 
station,  117  and  note  1. 

Weigand,  John,  a  messenger  of  the 
Mission  Board,  517,582,  509,  602. 

Weiss,  Lewis,  attorney  of  the  ^lo- 
ravians,  284 ;  his  letter  to  the 
Secretary  of  Congress  about  the 
massacre,  573,  574. 

Weisser,  Conrad,  biography,  08, 
note  1  ;  his  seat,  08  ;  entertains 
Ziiizendorf,  108;  visits  Shamo- 
kin  with  Zinzendorf,  110;  -\)vo- 
tects  Zinzendorf  in  Wyoming, 
114;  accom))anies  Spangenberg 
to  Onondaga,  13ii-lo0  ;  suggests 
to  the  Moravians  to  establish  a 
smithy  at  Shamokin,  142. 

W eland  aw  ecken,  a  Delaware  chief  •-'^ 
inciting  to  war,  000,  001,  010. 

Wesa,  Peter,  escapes  IVom  the  mas- 
sacre at  Penn's  Creek,  225, 
note  2. 

Wesley,  John,  in  Georgia,  16. 

Westenhnc,^  Moravian  Mission  sta- 
tion, 117  and  note  1. 

West,  the,  a  survey  of,  in  1777,  445, 
4-0 

We.„field,  a  Moravian  Mission  sta- 
tion, 696. 

Wenginund,  Cajitain,  takes  part  in 
the  British  expedition  against 
tho  Mission,  491 ;  summons  tho 
missionaries  to  Detroit,  517  ;  re- 
fuse? to  take  tliem  to  Detroit, 
519  ;  his  conversation  with  Colo- 
nel Crawford  at  the  stake,  507- 
571. 

Wetterhold,  Captain  Jacob,  muiders 
Christiiui  Indians,  277;  is  mur- 
dered, 278. 

Welhik-Tiippeek      See  Schonbrunn. 

W/iitefield,  George,  23. 

Whitejield  House ^  the,  23. 


744 


INDEX. 


White  child,  thefirat,  born  in  Ohio. 
See  Roth,  John  Lexois. 
^^White  Eijes,  i\  Delaware  captain, 
390 ;  his  view.s  regarding  tlie  In- 
dians. 3!iO;  meets  with  Zeisbor- 
ger,  S'.tO,  391 ;  his  town,  391, 9iof.e 
1 ;  advocates  peace  in  Dunniore's 
War, 404;  Glii^kiitan's  appeal  to 
him,  404 ;  urges  the  adoption  of  all 
the  missionaries,  405 ;  Lord  Diin- 
more's  adviser  in  the  war,  408 ; 
his  speech  in  the  Delaware  Coun- 
cil after  the  war,  413-41G;  his 
groat  plans,  418-420;  relinquishes 
his  project  of  going  to  England, 
427 ;  his  speech  at  the  treaty  of 
Pittsburg  in  1775,  430;  negoti- 
ates with  Congress  for  Episcopal 
missionaries,  431,  43G,  437;  at 
the  Delaware^  Council  after  his 
return  from  Philadelphia,  437, 
438  ;  his  conversation  with  Glik- 
kikan,  438,  439;  his  appeal  to  the 
Delawares  in  favor  of  the  Gospel, 
448 ;  advocates  peace  in  the  llevo- 
lution,  403  ;  his  plan  concerning 
the  Delaware  nation  partly  adopt- 
ed bv  the  United  States,  468,  note 
1;  his  death,  409,  470. 

White  Eyes,  widow  of,  baptized, 
656. 

White  Eyes,  Joseph,  baptized,  601. 

William,  a  convert.  See  Chdloioay, 
Job. 

William  Henry.     See  Gelelemetid. 

Wilkinson,  Cohmel,  his  expeditions 
against  the  Indians,  025,  627. 

Wdliamxoyi,  Colonel  Dnvid,  cap- 
tures Schebosh  and  his  party  of 
converts,  519;  commands  the  ex- 
fwdition  against  Gnadenhutten, 
640-542;  leaves  it  to  his  men  to 
decide  the  fate  of  the  Christian 
Indians.  547 ;  refuses  to  save 
Christiana,  540 ;  his  character 
according  to  Doddridge,  555,  556. 
^Winnebaaoes,  an  Indian  tribe,  31, 
73. 

WolUn,  .John  G.,  .sends  the  mis- 
sionaries money  from  England, 
579,  580. 

Wolcott,  Oliver,  United  States  com- 
missioner, 584. 
'^-^Wolf,  a  clan  among  the  Iroquois,  78. 


Wool>na7i,  John,  a  Quaker  preacher 
at  Machiwihilusing,  27. 

Woi-bass,  Peter,  e.sca])es  from  the 
massacre  on  the  JVIahony,  229, 
231,  234. 

Wyandots,  an  Indian  tribej  38 ;  '^ 
conquered  by  the  Iroquois,  ib.; 
remnant  of,  73  ;  Jesuit  Mission 
among  them,  100;  their  hunting- 
grounds  in  Ohio,  374  ;  take  sides 
against  the  United  States  in  the 
Revolution.,  442,  447 ;  besiege 
Port  Laurens,  471 ;  take  part  in 
the  British  expedition  against 
the  Mission,  489;  in  the  Indian 
War  after  the  Revolution,  638. 

Wyoming,  the  Indian  tribes  there, 
70;  visited  by  Count  Zinzendorf, 
112-116;  bv  Baron  de  Watto- 
ville,  148,  149;  the  lirst  Lord's 
Su]qH'r  administered  in  its  val- 
ley, 148;  visited  by  Cammer- 
hoft'  and  Zeisberger,  150,  174; 
by  Zeisberger  and  Bezold,  184; 
by  S{»angenberg  and  his  party, 
186;  stated  itinerancies  there 
of  Moravian  missionaries,  221  ; 
Christian  Frederick  Post  estab- 
lishes himself  there,  ib.;  Zeis- 
berger's  visit  there  at  the  out- 
break of  the  French  and  Indian 
War,  225,  226;  Zei,*berger  itin- 
erates there  after  the  war,  259- 
201. 

z. 

Zki.ne,  Colonel,  protests  against  mur- 
dering the  Indians  in  Dunmore's 
War,  402. 

Zmnder,  William,  a  Moravian  mis- 
sionary, 100. 

Zauchtenthal,  Zeisberger's  birth- 
place, 13. 

Zeisberger,  David,  his  birth,  13; 
ancestors,  14;  parents,  13,  10, 
20,  24,  note  2;  flees  to  Herrnhut, 
IJ  ;  early  years  in  Germany  and 
Holland,  17,  18;  runs  away  from 
Herrendyk  and  escapes  to  Geor- 
gia, 19,  20;  his  stay  in  Georgia 
and  South  <Jarolina,  21,  22;  goes 
to  Pennsylvania,  22,  23 ;  at  the 
Whitefield  House  and  Bethle- 
hem,   23,    24;     his    return    to 


INDEX. 


745 


Europe  prevented,  24,  26;  con- 
version, 2(1;  devotes  liiinself  to 
missionary  work  amoni;  the  In- 
dians, 26,  27  ;  a  member  of  Pyr- 
laeiis's  cliiss  of  students  of  In- 
dian languages,  120;  inmate  of 
the  Brethren's  House  at  Bethle- 
hem, 120,  121,  note,  1  ;  sent  to  the 
Mohawk  eountry,  121 ;  atCunajo- 
harie  with  King  Ilendrick,  122  ; 
arrested  as  a  spy,  123  ;  examina- 
tion at  Albany,  trial  at  New 
York,  and  imprisonment  in  the 
jail,  123-130;  first  journey  to 
Onondaga  with  Spangenberg, 
131-139;  adopted  among  the  Iro- 
quois, 134;  his  Indian  name,  i6.; 
helps  to  lay  out  Gnadenlritton, 
141 ;  Mack's  assistant  at  Shamo- 
kin,  144;  explores  the  two 
branches  of  the  Susquehanna 
with  Mack,  144,  145;  interpreter 
to  Watteville's  party  at  Shamo- 
kin  and  Wyoming,  147-150; 
brings  the  news  of  Shikellimy's 
death  to  Bethlehem,  151 ;  his  or- 
dination, lb.;  labors  at  Shamokin, 
151,  152;  second  visit  to  Onon- 
daga with  Canimerhofl',  150-175; 
escape  from  a  rattlesnake,  174; 
visit  to  Europe,  1 78-181 ;  ap- 
pointed perpetual  tnissionary  to 
the  Indians,  181 ;  hi-  return  to 
America,  ih.;  visits  Wyoming 
with  Bezold,  184;  missiofiary  at 
Shamokin,  l^"i,  iHf);  third  visit 
to  Onondaga,  187-190;  negotia- 
tions with  a  part  of  the  Grand 
Council,  190-194;  among  the 
Cayugas,  201 ;  attacked  and 
beaten  by  a  trader,  201,  202  ;  itin- 
erates in  New  York  and  New 
England,  204;  fourth  visit  to 
Onondaga,  205-212;  his  views 
concerning  the  Iroquois  iMission, 
212,  213  :  fifth  visit  to  Onondaga, 
215-219;  builds  n  Mission  house 
at  Onondaga,  210  ,  is  made  the 
keeper  of  the  archives  of  the 
Grand  Council,  217  ;  his  labors 
among  the  Indians  of  Wyoming, 
221,  225,  220;  barely  escapes  the 
massacre  at  Gnadenhiittcn,  229- 
233  ;  brings  the  news  of  the  mas- 


sacre to  Bethlehem,  234 ;  present 
at  Colonial  treaties  during  the 
French  and  Indian  War,  242- 
251 ;  visits  North  Carolina,  244, 
252;  superintendent  of  the  Breth- 
ren's House  at  Liliz,  252,  253; 
government  interpreter  at  the 
Indian  congress  at  Easton  in 
1701,  253;  iirst  visit  to  the  In- 
dian country  after  tlie  war,  259, 
200;  itinerates  in  the  Wyoming 
valley,  200,  201  ;  refuses  to  leave 
the  Moravian  Church  and  join 
Frederick  Tost,  201;  visits  the 
ConneeticutscLtiersin  Wvoming, 
208;  his  work  at  Macliiwilii- 
lusing,  209-273;  messenirer  of 
the  Mission  Board  in  the  I'ontiac 
War,  275;  leads  tlie  Christian 
Indians  to  Philadelpliia,  280; 
further  connection  witli  the 
Christian  Indians  during  the 
Pontiac  War  and  Paxtim  In-ur- 
rection,  289,  290,  292,  294.  ;!04, 
305;  ap]iointed  missionary  at 
Machiwihilu-ing,  308;  leads  the 
Christian  Indians  from  Nain  to 
Machiwihilusing,  308-310;  his 
illness,  312;  letter  to  the  Board 
reporting  «  revival  at  Friedens- 
hutten,>S)3  ,  meets  David  Nitsch- 
mann,  the  Syndic,  314;  lead's  a 
d"putation  of  Christian  Indians 
to  Cayuga  Town,  315,  310  ;  leaver 
Friedenshiitten,  and  last  vij^it  to 
Onondaga,  318-320;  ,-pend.s  th« 
w  nter  of  1706  at  Christians- 
brunn,  822;  meets  with  his  In- 
dian relatives  at  Bethlehem  and 
buries  one  of  them,  322,  323 ; 
his  exploratory  tour  to  the  In- 
dians of  the  Alleghany  at  Goseh- 
gosehiink,  324-335;  his  conver- 
sation with  the  chiel'  of  Tiozi- 
nossongoehto,  325-328;  his  bold 
refutation  of  Wangomen,  the 
Indian  preacher,  333-335;  begins 
a  Mission  at  Goschgoschiink, 
338-349;  rem.oves  the  Mission 
from  Goschgoschiink  to  Lawun- 
akhannek,  353-359;  visits  Fort 
Pitt  and  prevents  an  Indian  wat, . 
357,  358 ;  visits  the  site  of  Fort 
Venango,  358;  journey  with  the 


746 


INDEX. 


converts  from  tbo  Allcc;lianv  to 
the  Beaver  Kiver,  359-3()l ;  nat- 
uralized nnion£»  the  Jlonsevs, 
363,  364;  first  visit  to  Ohio,  366, 
367  ;  meets  deputies  from  Europe 
at  Betlileheni,  309;  presents  an 
invitation  from  'ho  Dehiwiirc 
chiefs  to  tli(!  Su?  juehanna  eon- 
verts  to  come  to  Ohio,  370  ;  dnn- 
gerously  ill  at  Lancaster.  371  ; 
second  visit  to  Ohio,  371  ;  beijins 
the  first  Mission  station  in  Ohio, 
372;  receives  the  Susiiuehanna 
converts  at  Friedensstudt,  376 ; 
his  illness  in  Ohio,  378  ;  mission- 
ary at  Schihibi-unn,  380,  381  ; 
first  visit  to  the  Shawaneso  of 
Ohio,  382,  383;  second  visit  to 
the  Shawanese,  389-393;  intw- 
view  with  Gi'schenatsi,  391-393  ; 
offers  to  leave  Ohio  and  explore 
other  parts  of  the  West,  394 ;  his 
position  during  Dunniore's  War, 
399-409 ;  his  views  with  re2;ard  to 
White  P^yes,  411  ;  his  irmat  plans 
concerning  the  Jlission,  412,  413; 
his  views  concerning  the  Kevo- 
hitionary  Witr,  421,  422;  visits 
Bethlehem  in  1775,427;  negotiates 
with  Nctawatwes  about  a  third 
Christian  town,  432,  433  ;  founds 
Lichtenau,  434,  435;  opposes 
White  Eyes  in  his  efforts  to  se- 
cure teachers  other  than  Mora- 
vians, 436-438;  secures  the  neu- 
trality of  the  Delawares  and 
their  grandchildren  in  the  Revo- 
lution, 443,  444  ;  importance  of 
his  services  acknowledged  by 
United  States  genera's,  444,  tvtte 
2 ;  Zeisberger  at  Sehonbrunn 
amid  the  conspiracy  of  ><ome  of 
the  coTiverts,  449-452;  the  Mis- 
sion in  charge  of  Zeisberger  and 
Edwards  only,  454  ;  Zeisberger's 
views  with  regard  to  their  situ- 
ation, i/;.;  saved  from  the  danger 
of  passing  war-partic-  by  the 
Huron  Half  King,  454-456; 
maintains  iiis  position  at  Lichte- 
nau and  sways  the  Delaware 
council,  456-459 ;  further  stay  at 
Lichtenau  amid  the  difHcullies 
and  dangers  caused  by  the  war, 


400-471 ;  his  dissatisfaction  with 
the  treaty  at  Pittsburg  in  1778, 
468,  469;  leaves  Lichtenau  an(l 
founds  New  Sehonbrunn,  472, 
473 ;  saved  from  the  bands  of 
Girty's  war-party,  473-475;  his 
life  saved  again,  475,  476;  last 
visit  to  iJethlehem,  480;  inter- 
view with  President  Keed,  at 
Philadelphia,  481  ;  his  marriage 
at  Litiz,  481,  482  ;  returns  to  the 
Mission  with  his  wife,  484,  485; 
is  taken  prisoner  and  l'orc(>d  to 
break  up  the  iIis>ion  on  the  Tus- 
carawas, 486-512  ;  bis  public  dis- 
course at  Gnadenhiitten  while 
the  town  is  in  the  power  of  the 
Britisli  Indians,  499-503;  re- 
fuses to  claim  bis  rights  as  a 
Monsey,  504;  his  feelings  at 
leaving  the  TuscarawM-i  towns, 
514;  journey  to  the  Sandusky 
region,  514-517;  at  Captives' 
Town,  517;  on  trial  at  Detroit, 
518-529;  returns  to  Captives' 
Town,  529;  loses  his  iniiuenco 
among  the  heathen  Indians,  532; 
remanded  to  Detroit,  533;  bis 
distress  of  mind,  533,  534;  his 
agony  at  ]iarting  from  the  eon- 
verts,  535;  receives  news  of  the 
massacre  at  Gnadewhutten,  536, 
558;  reads  the  burial  service  in 
their  memory,  558  ;  conversation 
with  Samuel  Nantieoke  about 
the  massacre,  558,  559  ;  his  feel- 
ings at  the  unjust  suspicions  of 
some  of  the  converts,  5(50;  his 
agony  of  mind  with  regard  to 
their  future,  ih.;  at  Detroit  after 
the  massacre,  561,  562  ;  goes  to 
jVIichigan  to  resuscitate  the  Mis- 
sion, 503  ;  at  New  (iiiadenluiften 
in  Michigan,  578-589;  interview 
with  Sir  John  Johnson  at  Detroit , 
579,  580;  on  the  Cuvahoga,  at 
Pilgerruh,  in  Ohio,590-599;  sends 
a  written  siieech  to  the  scattered 
converts,  594;  his  illness,  590; 
receives  a  comforting  letter  from 
the  Mission  Board,  596;  at  Ne\r 
Salem,  on  the  Pett(|Uotting,  600- 
611  ;  further  stay  at  New  Salem, 
612-622 ;  applies  to  the  Canadian 


INDEX. 


747 


govrrnmont  for  a  rofiigo  durinc; 
the  Indinn  War,   OUi-OlO;    his 
iipinioii  of  Loskiel's  History  of 
the  Mi.siiion,  022;  tit  the  mouth 
of  the  Detroit,  G23-G30 ;    nego- 
tiates with  Canadian  government 
for  the  permanent  establishment 
of  the  Mission  in  Canada,  630; 
at  Fairfield  in  Canada,  031-G51 ; 
resolves  to  hegin  ynew  town  on 
the    reservation    in    Ohio,   G48; 
leaves  Fairllidd,  G^')!  ;   last  joiir- 
ni'v    »()    Ohio,    G52-G')4;    founds 
(liialien,  G^h    visits  the  site  of 
New     Mclliinlinillll,     055,     note; 
signs   a   memorial   to   (Tivernor 
HI.  Clair  ahoiit  the  Huie  of  ardent 
Bitli'lts,  050;    labors   at   (iosluMi, 
in  ;  administers  the  fiord's  Siip- 
per  to  till)  white  seltU^rs  on  th(! 
reservation,   058;     eoiltinues   to 
labor  at  Unshen,  GOl  ;  ids  health 
begins  to  fall,  000,  007  ;  d(diver- 
ance  from  serpents,  ih.;  last  pub 
lie  address  to  the  Indians,  008  ; 
his  health  continues  to  fail,  070; 
receives  tlio  Ijord's  Hiipper,  lb.; 
his     testimony    conein-ning    his 
hopes  as   a  Christian,  071;    his 
dvmg  hours,  07-',  073  ;  ills  death, 
674  ;'  his  work,  074-680  ;   his  per- 
sonal appearance  and  iudjits,  080, 
081 ;    bis  funeral,  083,  084;   his 
epitajdi,  085. 
Zeishcrr/er's,  David,  lUernry  vmrks, 
general  remarks,  080 ;   MS.  His- 
tory of  the  Indians,  20,  note  2, 
478;  his  MSS.  in  Harvard  Uni- 
vorsitv,  001  ;    Iroquois   German 
Dieticmary,  144,  200,  253,  (500; 
Iroquois  Grammar,  253,  000,  001 ; 
Delaware  Easter  Morning    Lit- 


any, ri04-30S ;   Delaware  Si.elling 
Book,  427,  430,  440,  iw,;],  t;t;7,  087  ; 
Delaware  Ilvmn  Hook,  012,  001, 
007,  088,  G80  ;  Delaware  Gram- 
mar,   (i07.   001  ;    Delaware    Ilnr- 
mony  of  the  Gospels,  012, 007, 089, 
090;  Delaware  Sermons  to  Chil- 
dren, 089;    a  Delaware  treatise 
on  the  Bodilv  Care  for  Children, 
089. 
Zcisbcnir r  Ishniit,  in  the  Tuscara- 
was,  054 ;     named    Ijy   General 
Putnam,  ih. 
Zi'isbrrgi'i-,  SuHnn  f.-ee  Lrcron,  Su- 
san), arrives  at  the  Mi-sion.  484, 
485;  captured  by  the  British  In- 
dians,  508;     thrown    from    her 
bors<',   515  ;    sutferings   at    Ca[i- 
lives'    Town,    531  ;      leaves   the 
Mission,    003  ;      resideniMi     and 
death  at  Uetliieliem,603,  0'.l4. 
Zinzendorf.   Cdunt  Nicholm  Jjewis, 
biograiiiiieal  nntiees,  liOOj  iturril- 
hut   oil   ]i|s  ostiitH,  15;    lays  l|in 
cnrniT-stoiie  for  the  (Ir-t  chapel, 
314  ;  secures  retreats  for  the  Mn- 
ravlaiis,  15;    arrives  at  jJeliile- 
hem,  23,  24;  lirst  visit  to  the  In- 
dian  coanti'v,    107-109;     treaty 
witii  lr(M|iiiiis  saeliems,  108;  visits 
Shekomeko,  109,  110  ;  visits  Wy- 
oming, 110-]  10  ;  th(!  adders,  113  ; 
plot  to  nnirder  him,  114 ;     thi! 
rattlesnake   story   a    fable,    114, 
7inte   2;     bis  Indian  name,  148, 
190;  returns  to  Europe,  24;  his 
morbid  sensibility  with  regard  to 
American   affairs',  180,  181 ;    his 
death,  250. 
Zonesschio,  capital  of  the  Senecas, 
168. 


